The Black Maskers’ annual One Acts show is always an unforgettable experience, and this year’s performance proved to be no exception.

The series of four student-written productions included “Mad Libs,” “Wish,” “Miss Magnificent” and “Goddess Girls. Each show spanned 30 minutes, apart from “Mad Libs,” which lasted a concise ten. Witty, full of drama, and each truly one-of-a-kind, the four productions captivated the audience from start to finish.

Written and directed by seniors Maggie McLaughlin and Max Mann, “Mad Libs” was the first to make its debut. This act was a fan favorite and had the audience laughing throughout. The premise of the play follows two highschool students, Jordan (Alexander Opalski) and Alexa (Sophia Fisher) who pick up a Mad Libs book instead of doing their English homework. The audience watched as blank spaces turned into nouns, verbs, and adjectives, and a story filled with unexpected twists came to life. 

The chosen Mad Lib called “Cat Got Your Tongue” was centered around Frankenstein’s Monster, who one day woke up without his voice. The narrators threw in unexpected twists and the monster wound up in unimaginable situations; the show bounced back and forth between the friends and the chaotic story happening behind them. 

The cast of characters featured Dr. Frankenstein himself, a French painter, a priest and a baker. In a show filled with surprises, many were delighted to see the classic mad scientist played by RMS Biology and Forensics teacher, Karl Kovacs. 

“I want people to laugh, [and] want people to see how hard our actors worked and the effort they all put into the show,” McLaughlin said, moments before the performance. 

Next up was “Wish,” written and directed by junior Ash Govind and sophomore Elliot Gilchrist. The story followed two genie brothers—Ambrose (Asher Feinstein) and Alastair (Tommy Hogan)—navigating the complexities of their powers and mystical lives. Alastair, determined to break free from the constraints of the “guidebook,” seeks out clueless humans to wish for the extinction of mankind. His brother, who is far less rebellious, tries to stop him. Eventually, Ambrose finds that they have to break a few rules to save the world. 

“Goddess Girls,” written and directed by senior Eliza Petrova and junior Cory Breychak, was a musical masterpiece. It followed the journey of two goddesses– Aphrodite (Helena Checcucci) and Persephone (Mouna Dantata)– who are not exactly known for their kindness. As punishment for their misbehavior, they are banished to High School on Earth by Zeus. Tasked with proving to be capable of being good for an entire day, their plans to fit in with the other students turned out to be quite challenging. Ultimately, the moral of the story was finding your true self.

This musical featured student-choreographed dances and original songs, making it especially unique. Many were impressed by Aphrodite’s solo singing and the incredibly in-sync dancers who helped make her shine. 

“There’s this part in “Serena Love,” one of the songs, where Aphrodite gets lifted in the air before a high note. It’s a fabulous show stopping moment!” director Breychak said. 

The last act performed was “Miss Magnificent,” written and directed by juniors Kylie Davis and Priya Udeshi. This murder mystery kept the audience on edge. It begins when one of the five beauty pageant contestants nearly dies after the first event. Then, increasingly dangerous incidents continue to happen to the winner of each event. At the end of the fourth event, the audience discovers the true attempted killer in this “whodunnit” comedy.

Of course, every great performance is the result of trial and error. Backstage crews played a crucial role in One Acts. Specifically, props and running crews worked hard to bring out materials while keeping up with the several speedy scene changes.

“It was pretty difficult to transition scenes. It was also sometimes a challenge to communicate with other crews backstage. It was harder with large props, like whiteboards, chairs, tables, and even an entire door,” assistant chief of props, junior Javier Rivas said.

One Acts is a student-led interlude in between the Black Maskers’ more intensive productions, and a time for directors to see their creative talent brought to life:

“The highlight for me was definitely seeing the final product of our show on the actual show night. It was incredibly rewarding and unreal seeing our cast giving their all to make mine and Cory’s work reach its full potential,” Petrova said.