JHS Senior Writes and Directs Original Play

Senior Kivi Weeks was the director and playwright for one of JHS's one-act plays in 2019-2020. The play was titled The Tale of Medusa, a retelling of the Greek myth about the creature of the same name. The innovative spin Weeks put on the play was that this version was told from the perspective of the women and goddesses left behind after Medusa's death. Featuring a classic Greek chorus and a variety of actual Greek chracters, The Tale of Medusa was a wonderful achievement in writing! Additionally, Kivi's directing of the play, with Ms. Spies to guide and mentor her decisions, brought great performances out of her actors. Overall, The Tale of Medusa was a play in which the community of Jordan can find a lot of pride!

The second play in our one-act festival was Being Rose, written by Richard James and directed by Ms. Steinhoff. Being Rose was a poignant play based on the memories of an elderly woman named Rose. As Rose looks back on her life, and as those memories come to life through the other actors — including multiple versions of herself — the audience becomes increasingly aware that Rose's memories are not as reliable as one would hope. The cast and crew performed a touching portrait of a full life, full of highs, lows, and everything in between.

The third play in our festival was our MSHSL one-act contest play, The Actor's Nightmare, by Christopher Durang and directed by Mr. Rydberg. The Actor's Nightmare is an absurd dark comedy about an accountant who finds himself inexplicably stuck in a world in which he is to perform as an actor — not only in one play, but in four plays! Having had no line preparation or rehearsal, the actor's stumbles and fumbles his way through the plays, causing hilarious interactions with his much more accomplished co-stars. The play takes a dark turn as it becomes increasingly aware that the play might actually claim his life!

At the Section 2AA, Subsection-A one-act play contest, The Actor's Nightmare placed 5th on January 25, 2020.