By Lauren Tremaine
Staff Writer

Usually, I don’t go to plays, but the Clackamas Community College One-Act performance was so amazing that I went back twice to watch it.

The shows, which aired Mar. 7th and 8th, was a collection of five different performances that began with an act called “Group Chat Date,” written by Miranda James, which centers around Bran, who has just returned from the most unusual date of her life.

She recounts the evening’s events, but not without constant interruptions and feedback from her onlooking, married friends. Bran, played by Aria Root, displays deep emotions, and the body language is so compelling that it draws you in to learn more about her character.

The cast of “Group Chat Date” watches Aria Root perform as Bran. Photo by Lauren Tremaine.

As the play progresses, the group jokes around and connects the narrative to modern dating, which I feel like many people can relate to. Bran’s friends, Madison, played by Enzo Martin, Camila, played by Roxy McCorkle, and Lacey, played by Rae Barnes, offer relationship advice on how and what Bran should have done during her date with Jeff (played by Jorge Apodaca-Jimenez.) They continually interrupt her, sharing stories about how they met their husbands and recounting their experiences.

I felt that I could relate to it with my personal life of trying to date someone and my friends continually telling me how I should have done it or what I should say on a date or with him. During the act, I could tell they were passionate in their voices, body language, and facial expressions, showing they were genuinely invested and knew what they were doing. The performance was well put together and rehearsed.

The second play, “Save Your Skin” by Azriel Marvin, focuses on Viper, played by Jorge Apodaca-Jimenez, who struggles to open up to people. He often lets his fists talk instead of expressing his feelings. Perhaps even his closest friend, Theresa, played by LaRue Newby, will help him share some of those emotions. During the play, Viper confides in Theresa about how Amara, played by Cooper Dotson, tries to convince him to end his rivalry with Frankie, played by Triston Bocek. He also recounts an incident where he got into a fight with Frankie at the bar.

The animosity between the two men is so intense that they repeatedly beat each other up if given the chance. While fighting, Tanner, played by Jack Deason, Viper’s friend, cheers them on. Later, he tries to intervene, but the others tell him to “shut up.” Later, Viper also reveals to Theresa that he enjoys the pain and adrenaline of fighting. I loved how they wore western clothing (boots, etc.) because I rode horses and watched many Western movies, so I knew what Western people wore and what they looked like. All the actors were deeply engaged in their roles, generating such excitement that the audience was eager to know what would happen next. It left the crowd wondering, “Will Viper ever open up to Theresa?”

This third performance was called “Singing For Theatre, ” featuring the song “Livin’ it Up on Top.” Throughout the play, the actors sang that song while acting. The actors — Jenny Hackenberger, LaRue Newby, Roxy McCorkle, and Riven Dederian — sang beautifully and in tune. It was amazing how they could sing while moving around the stage as required for their roles. They also sang while dancing, making the act more fun.

During the song, there were mentions of a girl running away, but she didn’t, and one late getting to the bar to hang out with them. I thought the singing and dancing were excellent and fun to watch. I even noticed myself starting to hum along with them.

The fourth play was titled “Muddy Death and Scandal” by Jason Pizarello. It revolved around a gentleman with a terminal illness and a fondness for Shakespeare. He has hired a hitman to end his life prematurely, aiming for a poetic death reminiscent of one from the Bard’s works. The looming question is, which death should he choose? He can select any option if it doesn’t involve his wife’s plants and curtains. Bruno, played by Em Instines, is the hired hitman tasked with killing Edgar, Orion Moss. Edgar’s wife begins to develop feelings for Edgar.

Theater studnets take a bow after the conclusion of a One Act performance. Photo by Lauren Tremaine.

Meanwhile, Edgar has a long list of options for how he wants to die. As Bruno reads through them, Edgar explains his reasoning in a Shakespearean manner. Additionally, either Martha, played by Martin, or Bruno frequently veto his choices.

Two of the options involve using Martha’s plant pot and curtains, to which she immediately objects, expressing her affection for them. Another option mentions using a tarp, but Martha panics, saying, “They make weird sounds.” After some time sifting through the list, Bruno suggests poisoning, which Edgar and Martha approve. As Martha leaves to fetch strudel from the kitchen, Edgar becomes distracted, and Bruno discreetly adds poison to Edgar’s drink.

Once Edgar receives his drink, he explains that he wishes to die in two years because he and Martha plan to go on a cruise to travel the world. Bruno then makes an “oops” face. Unaware of the poison, Edgar drinks it and soon succumbs. Martha appears shocked but ultimately leaves with Bruno, hand in hand, to embark on that cruise. The acting was exceptional, and what stood out to me was how convincingly Edgar portrayed the suffocation from the poison.

The warning for the fifth play mentioned self-harm. The play is called “Listen”  by Matt Mazza. It’s about a story of challenges we face, the pain we feel, and the friendship that can bring us to a better place. All the girls are brought into a room when a new girl named Megan, played by Tatum Fisher, comes in.

They all went through something, but Cindy, played by Roxy McCorkle, tries to get to know her more even though Megan is timid. Also, Cindy tries to bring everyone together, but Vee, played by Kate Lor, won’t open up and acts cold to them all.

Cindy sings about how she likes fire and dances as she tells her story. Then Max, played by Miranda James, and Nina, played by Jenny Hackrnberger and Aria Root, sing together about how they will always protect each other and dance together.

Then Vee is pushed to share her story so the new girl, Megan, will feel more welcome and know about them more, and she does.

Finally, Megan sings her story and shares what she experienced. Max, for some reason, had stripped her clothes off in a restaurant and kicked the police officer’s window. Vee bit a boy for an unknown reason and kept trying at times. Additionally, Nina wears a straight jacket. Vee hears voices and has visions in her head, referring to them as “inner demons.”

Megan felt neglected by her mom and grandpa, which caused her to snap at them. After that, she began overthinking her actions and felt terrible. Once they all shared their stories, they came together. The play was exceptionally well done. The audience could feel the emotions and relate to them. It’s intriguing how Nina pretends to feel emotions to appear as if she’s about to cry.

The “One-Act” plays showed the different stories created by various people. They were all very well thought out and well put together.

The costumes fit perfectly with their play and characters because they didn’t go into that much detail that only one stands out, but all of them do.

When they did something funny, the crowd laughed, and when an actor sang or danced, the crowd would cheer for them once they finished. No one in the crowd looked bored but instead everyone looked enthusiastic. As you watched them, you could tell they had practiced a lot for this moment, performing in front of the crowd.