The 2018 Quade One-Act Festival – presented by the theater department’s “Intermediate Directing” class – will run in Haugen Theater next weekend on May 11, 12 and 13. Each night of the festival will feature four approximately 30-minute long plays, each directed by a student in the course.
The Quade One-Acts are named after former theater professor Patrick J. Quade ’65, who retired from St. Olaf in 2005.
The schedule for the festival is as follows:
Friday, May 11:
7:30 p.m.
“Spellbound,” adapted from the short film by Ying Wu and Lizza Xu.
Directed by Amanda Treseler ’18.
“I really hope that audiences who see ‘Spellbound’ learn from Rene’s struggle to communicate. We all feel frustrated an angry sometimes, but if we keep all our feelings bottled up, we risk exploding and hurting the people we love. The adaptation of this short film was truly a collaborative effort, and I’m so incredibly grateful for the work of my wonderful cast and choreographer,” Treseler said.
8:10 p.m.
“Cash on Delivery” by Michael Cooney.
Directed by Cait McCluskie ’20.
“Working on ‘Cash on Delivery’ has been one of the best experiences I’ve had in theater. My cast is phenomenal and always willing to try new ideas I throw their way. Each rehearsal makes me laugh so hard I cry and I can only hope the audience has the same reaction!” McCluskie said.
8:50 p.m.
“Recalled to Life,” adapted from Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities.”
Directed by Zac Besky ’18.
“It’s exciting rehearsing with this cast; every day, every person comes in with something new, and together they’re doing an incredible job of taking this older novel and making it something personal, that really lives and breathes on stage,” Besky said.
9:30 p.m.
“Love, Probably” by Avery Baker ’19.
Directed by Samantha Roback ’19.
“I have always loved a classic rom com that hits you with the cheesy lines, the pouring rain, and the last minute meeting at the airport. However, I wanted to address the undeniable air of absurdity surrounding romantic comedies. I have had a blast over the last month exploring the ridiculousness of romantic comedies with my wonderful cast of four: Carolyn Nuelle [’18], Meghan Todd [’19], Margaret Lindahl [’19] and Bjorn Long [’19]. It is my hope to keep create a fun rehearsal environment that leads to an exploration of the world of romantic comedies on stage,” Roback said.
Saturday, May 12:
7:30 p.m.
“How to Date: A WikiHow One-Act” by Multiple Sources Compiled Into an Original Piece.
Directed by Anya Fairchild ’19.
“This piece was inspired by WikiHow dating articles, so my process began simply by spending a lot of time on the WikiHow website. Though I had a basic structure for the piece before rehearsals began, the process of problem solving and creation has been wonderfully collaborative. My cast and I had the opportunity to explore and discover the physicality, relationships and tone we wanted and came up with a relatable, original piece about teenage love, over reliance, and our society’s dating and gender norms,” Fairchild said.
8:10 p.m.
“Far Away” by Caryl Churchill.
Directed by Tara Maloney ’19.
“I went in wanting to do a play not only written by a woman but that also showcased strong women in the show and I was able to find that within [this play]. The cast has been amazing to work with, they make me get excited about rehearsals by their willingness to try anything. Even though the show is rather dark and serious, we always end up laughing through rehearsals together and so the process has been surprisingly fun and I am really thankful for that,” Maloney said.
8:50 p.m.
“RED,” a new adaptation of “Little Red Riding Hood.”
Directed by Annika Isbell ’19.
“Having the opportunity to work with and direct three amazing women alongside a class of 11 other amazing directors has been incredible. If you’re looking for a way to learn about yourself and how you communicate with others, direct a one act,” Isbell said.
9:30 p.m.
“The Election.”
Directed by Katie Howrey ’19.
“Directing ‘The Election’ has been an incredible experience. I chose this piece because it talks about themes of complacency and violence – which is a large discussion both in our country and on campus,” Howrey said.
Sunday, May 13:
7:30 p.m.
“Bolero” by David Ives.
Directed by Laura Berge ’18.
“I’ve had the honor of working with Gillian Gauntt [’19] and Ben Habel [’19] on ‘Bolero.’ During our rehearsals, we’ve been exploring themes of violence, anxiety and gender while also discovering the relationship between the two characters. I’ve immensely enjoyed this process and am excited to showcase the work the actors have put into this piece,” Berge said.
8:10 p.m.
“God’s Ear” by Jenny Schwartz.
Directed by Holly Ness ’19.
“I chose to direct ‘God’s Ear’ because I liked how it juxtaposed tragedy with humor. The cast and I have had a great time figuring out the emotional arc of the characters and how they each fit into the world of the play. It’s been such a joy to work with my actors over the past few weeks and I’m very excited for the upcoming festival!” Ness said.
8:50 p.m.
“Stop Kiss” by Diana Son.
Directed by Jame See Yang ’19.
“It was really important to me to pick a play written by a person of color and ‘Stop Kiss’ happened to be that play. Not only was it written by a woman of color, but the content of the play focused on the repercussions of a lesbian couple who were assaulted for showing affection in public,” Yang said.
9:30 p.m
“Big Love” by Charles Mee.
Directed by Rosie Linsner ’18.
“‘Big Love’ by Charles Mee displays, through a heightened physical world, the absurdist view on gender, love and relationships. I am amazed at the risks my actors have taken and proud of the work they have done to tell this story,” Linsner said.
