This Friday two OHS students, Lila Higgins and Lily Quale, are putting on One Act performances in the auditorium from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. This will serve as the celebratory conclusion to a semester’s work for Quale and Higgins who directed, and in the latter’s case wrote, these plays in the class Director’s Workshop.

“My play is called I Love You, Carolyn, and is about a group of women in the 1950s discovering what it means to love while helping a friend escape an abusive marriage,” said OHS senior Lila Higgins.

Not only did Higgins direct the play, but she wrote it entirely herself, drawing inspiration from several sources.

“The formal idea for ILYC blossomed after I started thinking about who I’d cast… The character Valerie is based on and written for Greta Rolfzen and the lead, Carolyn, was written for Anna D’Alessandro after I was blown away by both her audition for The Final Call and The Play That Goes Wrong. I wrote and designed the entire show in ten days. I had a lot of people peer review for me and I’m forever grateful for them,” Higgins said.

This will serve as Lila’s final project with Orono Drama and in the fall she will attend Royal Holloway University in Egham, England to study Psychology on a pre-medical track.

“I absolutely adore[d] directing. I am most grateful for my cast and crew… this production has given me the chance to get to know and adore every single one of them… They’ve all been doing a wonderful job and I am so very proud of each and every one of them. I am especially grateful for my stage manager, Paige Baker, who has been taking a great deal off of my plate and supporting me throughout all of this. I wouldn’t be able to do it without her,” Higgins said.

The second play is called Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire and will be directed by OHS senior Lily Quale.

“The show is about a married couple named Becca and Howie, played by Julie Metcalf and Noah Feldmann, who recently lost their 4 year old son Danny in a car accident caused by a high school driver Jason, played by Luke Feldmann, and their journey through grief. The couple is joined by Becca’s pregnant sister Izzy, played by Ruby Gehrman, and Becca’s concerned mother, played by Addie Stavitzski,” Quale said.

Lily was the assistant director for Orono’s The Play That Goes Wrong, which was highly successful, and she cites this experience as vital for directing her next show and taught her a couple of lessons.

“My advice for any future one act showcase directors would be to make sure to plan ahead. Doing things last minute will only create stress throughout the environment of the show. Also, make sure to keep things positive and stay supportive of your team,” Quale said.

This will also be Lily’s final OHS Drama production and in the fall she will be attending Luther College in Decorah, Iowa to study Musical Education.

Make sure to come this Friday the 31st at 6 p.m. in the OHS Auditorium and see both of these shows! While it is technically a drama club event, family, friends, and classmates are eagerly encouraged to come!