During the second week of November, Orchard Park High School (OPHS) put on a production of two, one act plays directed by Maria Szczepanik, a very rare occurrence in OPHS drama history. The last time one-acts were staged at OP was in 2010 under the direction of Mrs. Bastedo. This nearly unprecedented format created a unique experience for not only those in the play, but also for the audience. The clash of a comedy and a drama in a span of an hour kept the audience on the edge of its seats.

The first act, “Tracks,” is a thought provoking drama with a shocking final twist. The production tries to answer the question, “What happens when we die?” Characters find themselves in a subway station and have to make the decision whether to get on the train, not knowing where it is headed, or to stay in the station. 

The ten person cast was highlighted by Freshman, Jane Hereth, who played the role of “The Homeless Girl.” Playing an emotional part, Hereth was on stage for the whole act, never breaking character. 

Hereth’s skill caught the attention of director, Maria Szczepanik, who said, “She (Hereth) was so natural on stage and has great instincts.”

The second act, “Shakespeare Unbound,” also had a cast of incredibly talented actors and actresses. The comedy revolves around the main character, Aliesha, who wins a large book consisting of all of Shakespeare’s plays and stories. The book is too heavy to carry though, so Aliesha begins to rip pages out to lighten the load. But, with each page that is ripped out, a character from a Shakespeare play comes to life, causing problems in the town. In this cast of nine people extremely talented students, the spotlight was shined on Maddy Shurtliffe, in her portrayal of Aliesha. 

“Maddy had an incredible amount of dialogue to memorize. I was very impressed by that,” Mrs. Szczepanik said, “She was a natural on stage as well.”

Besides the talent of the actors and actresses, what may have been the biggest bright spot the audience attendance. Statistically, the school musical in the spring has had a much greater turn out for each of the shows when compared with the fall play. This help true this year, as well, but there was a visible improvement of turnout compared with years prior.

“The kids work really hard and always give quality performances,” said Mrs. Szczepanik. “They all really made wonderful progress in their acting.”

The next production for this school year will be the musical Chicago. With all the talent shown in this play and around the building, the musical will be a must-watch show. Tickets will be going on sale in the coming months with the scheduled shows being performed in the middle of March. 

(This story has been updated for accuracy to correct an earlier version stating that one-acts have never occurred at OPHS.)