The Lincoln Southeast Theater program decided to break the tradition of participating in the district theater competition in Gretna this year. Instead, they will be showcasing a collection of One-Acts. One-Acts are short plays that consist of only one act, in the past couple of years 10-minutes plays have become a popular subgenre of One-Acts. These include; “Rabbit”, directed by Tyler Lambley, “Take Five”, directed by Kathryn Frankforter, “Watermelon Boats”, student directed by Jerrica Zuhlke, “Dr Chekhov”, student directed by Ryan Yakel, “The Individuality of Streetlamps”, student directed by Josie Dobson and “Night Visits”, student directed by Marielle Hinrichs.

This is a very different experience to the program’s One-Act shows in the past. Since the shows were made to move easily from our theater to another. The sets were built in such a way that they could fit into a moving van and be hauled off and unloaded quickly. Last year’s One-Act was “Alice in Wonderland,” and the show included large columns that were arranged differently depending on the scene. However, without the restrictions of a moving van, the set can be as large as the directors want.

This collection of One-Acts will be an exciting adventure for many. Along with the introduction of the student directed pieces. There is also an almost completely new Stage Management team. Stage Managers are in charge of the organization and coordination of a theater production. In a usual production, there is a Stage Manager and Assistant Stage Manager. This year, there will be a total of four Stage Managers and two Assistant Stage Managers, all responsible for a different show. Avery Kugler(10) is the Stage Manager for “Take Five”.

“[Theater has] been a great way to interact with new friends, I don’t know so well,” Kugler said.

Kugler has been a part of four other productions here at LSE, mainly involved in Run Crew. During the program’s virtual end of the year banquet last year, she was awarded the “Best New Techie” award for her amazing work throughout the year and was inducted into the International Thespian Society. However, she is most thankful for being elected into the Drama Officer position of Underclassmen Representative.

“I believe that this production will allow a lot more people to get involved and experience the program,” Kugler said.

Kugler hopes that these shows will be a lot less stressful as they are not part of a competition. When you are part of a competition, “you feel like you need to do everything right,” Kugler said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way everyone does things, including the entertainment industry. The entertainment industry has been affected in many ways, but the loss of in-person spectators is the biggest. The Jennifer L. Dorsey-Howley Performing Arts Center has been cut down from a total of 609 seats to 115 when practicing social distancing. Though, these numbers do not exactly relate to performances.

During public performances, only four immediate family members can attend. Currently there are roughly 31 students involved in the production, this does not include the Run Crew which has not been decided upon yet. When the Run Crew is added there may be about 40 students, and allowing four people to attend in person added for a total of 160 people. So, obviously, the theater will not follow person-to-person social distancing, but rather family-to-family social distancing. This allows more spectators to watch than the seats allow. Face-masks are required during the entirety of the show.

Performances will be held on Friday, Dec. 4th and Saturday, Dec. 5th. The theater department will also be live streaming the performances to those who cannot make it in person. More information about the livestream will be released by the Theater Department in the coming weeks. The program would like to thank the patrons for their continued support during the COVID-19 pandemic.