AGHS Theater company is hosting their yearly student directed One Act plays on the 23rd, 24th, 30th, and 31st of January. There are 4 different plays, all around 30 minutes long which includes: “The AI Play” directed by Kai Sajulan (‘27), “The Trips” directed by Jazmine Luis Sarabia (‘26) , “Wake Up Call” directed by Andrew Orr (‘26), and “Standardized Testing” directed by Aurian Oliphant (‘26). Each play is hand chosen by each director.

Becoming a director for the AGHS theater company is no simple feat. Students have to submit a form with a full analysis on their chosen play, why they enjoy said play, and how it would be directed. After the process of selecting who becomes director comes the actual directing.

“As a director first we have to pick our cast, like a draft, which can be a struggle. Now all the rehearsal process is on you, you have to figure out the blocking, how you want [your cast] to say their lines, and how they play their characters,” Oliphant said. “You want [your cast] to have creativity and be themselves, so it’s a lot of constructive criticism.”

“There’s a little creativity students get to exert in how they think the show should be. Here it’s [all] the student directors choice, [which] gives them a lot of autonomy and creative choice,” AGHS Theater company teacher and director, Sean Blauvelt said.

Each director has their own unique passions and loves for directing and theatre, which reflect in their plays

The AI Play

High-school student Eleanor uses ai to cheat on a last minute essay, and after pressure from her parents, and the scandal of a school for “the gifted,” she learns a lesson in honest work, even if last minute.

This play involves topics relevant in our society, such as the growing use of AI in people’s lives.

“[The reason I decided to direct] was because [the theater company] really needed a fourth play, and with [me being]

interested in being a director as one of my careers, there was an opening and I took it,” student director Sajulan said. “The play is funny and relevant [to the real world issue of] Chat GPT being used for everything.”

While the play does center around AI, it is run by real people and sometimes not everything goes smoothly.

“There have been a lot of struggles behind the scenes. Two closing nights we don’t have one of our leads. This week we’ve had to pick up two extra actors. We’ve done a lot really quickly and its show ready and I’m proud of everyone,” Sajulan said.

The Trips

Three hitmen wait in a mysterious room for an unknown target. As time goes by and tensions build, unexplainable phenomena occur around them. The three killers begin to succumb under the pressure, falling victim to “the trips.”

This One act was similar to the psychological thrill of Edgar Allan Poe, filled with mystery and questioning what one knows as truth.

“I picked ‘The Trips’ because I liked the whole mystery of the show and the idea of paranoia getting the best of people. I also picked this show because of the themes of not trusting everyone you think you know,” Luis Sarabia said. “I think that having that reluctance of not trusting anyone is such a main point in the show that can [also] be carried on outside of it.”

Luis Sarabia enjoys the mystery and tragedy that comes with this play.

“My favorite part of the show is when [the characters] Graham, played by Lynn Wyckoff, and Lowell, played by Ave Castanos, are talking about their colleague who had recently died, and I think it sets the whole show up and is an important factor of the eeriness of the show,” Luis Sarabia said.

While there was lots of mystery, it was definitely no mystery that directing the play came with its struggles.

“I had a struggle with understanding why some of the characters are doing what they are doing, and how to convey that message to the audience with the blocking of the show. Also making  adjustments to the script that didn’t make the show sound cringey in order to make it appropriate for a high school setting,” Luis Sarabia said.

This isn’t Luis Sarabia’s first time directing for the AGHS Theater company. She is used to the process and couldn’t wait to do it again.

“My favorite part of directing is seeing my vision come to life. Reading the script, getting a feel for where the characters go and their movement, and being able to tell an amazing cast what they are going to do. I picked directing this year because I honestly love it so much,” Luis Sarabia said.

Wake Up Call

A teen boy flips between different realities, and what was supposed to be a wake up call, leads to a downward spiral into dreams.

This one act was similar to that of a fever dream, dragging you between reasonable and nonsensical.

“I was inspired by a teacher that told me about the show I’m doing, and when I looked into it, it was surprisingly funny. It’s very confusing and I like things that don’t have clear endings,” Orr said.

Orr has an affinity for the puzzling, which is reflected by his enjoyment in this play.

“My favorite part is the end because it’s so confusing and you don’t know what’s going on,” Orr said.

While directing this play, Orr faced many confusing things, besides just his play.

“[I’ve struggled with] my cast not knowing their lines, or [me] not knowing when or what to do from a new director’s point of view,” Orr said.

Orr wanted to take a step back from just acting and bring his creativity to behind the stage.

“I wanted to be a director [in order to] see some new insight and creativity besides acting. This is my first time stepping aside [from acting] besides doing tech. I wanted to learn something and create something,” Orr said.

Standardized Testing

Four students sit down to take the most important test of their life, the D.E.S.P.A.I.R. Each student reacts differently, whether with panic or with humor, but in the end the students crack, revolting against the test and its proctor.

This play showcased the varying mentalities that different students have when taking tests.

“I happened to find [this play in our upstairs library]. I was looking at plays last year, I found this one and thought that ‘I really really want to do this one’. I really like how relatable the show is. Everyone has had to take a test so it’s nice to see fictional characters go through a similar issue,” student director Oliphant said.

The fictional test that the actors take isn’t the only relatable struggle, but so is the struggles they had preparing the play.

“We competed in a play festival and got third place. We had to be ready a lot sooner than the others. It was challenging for some of the actors to just sit there and think of their lines [as lines were mainly monologuing],” Oliphant said.

Despite any struggles Oliphant still loves directing.

“[Directing] is stressful but at the same time because I do a lot of tech it’s not super stressful. If you pick the right cast and show it’s a lot of fun. It’s a great opportunity,” Oliphant said.

Further Behind the Scenes

Directors aren’t the only people keeping the play together. People working as the tech crew are also vital. Everything from something as simple as curtain pulling to as complex as controlling lights and sounds.

“My favorite thing about [being in tech] is in some way being part of the show, even if not being [in the show],” sound design tech student Deakyn Mosley said.

The Theater company’s next play is “How You Like It”, which will be put on stage in March. Overall, the actors, directors, and tech crew all put incredible amounts of effort and passion into each show, and whether student directed or not.