Charlotte Livingston ’24 co-directed a play for Lausanne’s One Acts festival, but she makes one thing clear: she has no plans of pursuing theater as a career.
"I actually want to be a child psychologist," she shared while discussing the play she recently directed with Abby Trott ‘24. "As a new student last year theatre offered a great opportunity and fun way for me to make friends. I met people in the grades below and above me that I could call my mentors."
Seven Lausanne Upper School Theatre Department students showcased their directing talents at the 2023 Evening of Student One-Acts. Like their fellow thespians, Charlotte and Abby had total freedom to create their vision on stage, collaborating with their actors throughout the process.
"Our one act improved because of things that our cast did one-off, and we told them to keep it in because it was really funny," Abby shared. "There are things that were not scripted, things that we did not tell them to do, things that they did on their own that have become a part of the performance."
Letting actors make their own choices for their characters lets so many people a creative voice.
The student-directed One-Acts started as a way for theater students to take the reins of production and build their knowledge of different aspects of the process. First, students that want to direct pick a play from Laussane's extensive library. Next, all directors ran auditions and met their potential cast members.
Knowing most of the potential class members from other productions gave Abby and Charlotte an idea of their strong suits.
"Auditions for the one acts were for all one act, not a specific one, and all the directors watch, and after they are placed in all of the different plays," Abby said.
Each production then went through three months of rehearsals, juggling school work, athletics, and numerous other responsibilities to ensure the cast was prepared. Self or co-directing, many of the students expressed that the most challenging thing was finding time to meet. In some plays, cast and crew members met before and after school to rehearse, block, and create funny or dramatic plays.
Directors, along with their actors, chose costumes, props, lighting, and effects. Like most Lausanne productions, students were also in the booth running sound effects and lighting.
As the Upper School Thespians prepare to perform Mama Mia!, the Upper School Musical on March 20, the experience of putting on the One Acts has given them a new perspective and more confidence… even if they don't plan on becoming actors after graduation.
"Although I want to become a psychologist when I am an adult, theatre can be integrated into that in many ways because things I have learned in theatre can also be applied to basic human interaction," Charlotte said.
Part of Lausanne's Theatre Department’s goals is to prepare students for a variety of future roles… even if they never take the stage again.
This article was written by Mia-Miracle Craig, Lausanne's Communications Dept. Intern from Rhodes College.