MHS Theatre Presents “One Night Only”
The poster for the show. This design will be on the programs and t-shirts. The poster was only revealed on the Monday before the cast and crew list was released, creating hype around the performance.
March 3, 2022
The Middleton High School (MHS) Theatre Program has always been innovative and experimental, and their upcoming sketch comedy show is no different. Recently, the program has consisted of five shows: the one-act, the fall play, the Shakespeare show, the student-directed show, and the spring musical. This year, the student-directed show has a twist. The entire show will be written, directed, and performed in the span of three days, and there will only be one performance. As the name suggests, the show is for “One Night Only.”
On Feb. 20, a link was opened on the MHS Theatre website. On a first come, first serve basis, students raced to sign up as actors, writers, both, or crew members for “One Night Only.”
The department has brought on a new director to head two out of the five shows this season. With her successful steerage of the one-act (Barbara Weichmann’s “Aunt Leaf”) last October, Charlotte Martin is projected to use through her hands-on writing and directorial experience to improve the comedy show. Martin graduated from the Tisch School of the Arts, making her writing and directorial debut in 2016 with the feature-length film, “The First of Our Friends to Get Married.”
“Sketch comedy is how I got my start as a writer,” Martin said. “Sketch comedy is a great place for writers to start because the goal is clear: make the audience laugh.”
Martin wanted to emphasize the fun needed in the process. For most of the cast and crew, this is their first time doing sketch comedy, and most likely their shortest rehearsal process, with it only being three days long. Writers will have about a day and a half to write a script (themed around a topic they won’t know until Friday), and actors will have one day to memorize it. The show is a new venture for everyone involved, but Martin is prepared for the slip-ups and challenges along the way.
“The challenges are what make [the show] fun because when the team pulls it off, and they will, it’s so, so satisfying,” Martin said. “The beauty of a sketch comedy show is that even when it goes horribly, terribly wrong… it’s still really funny. ”
“One Night Only” will be held on Saturday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be sold for $10 at the door. For more information, check out the MHS Theatre website and Instagram page.
