Bananas, valentines, art, stars, and The Winter One Act at Eagan High School all have one thing in common: color.
The Winter One Act had its opening night on Friday, Feb. 6, where the play and the Competition One Act will be portrayed. The show has many aspects students are asking about, leading up to it. ‘What’s it about?’ ‘Who are the actors?’ ‘Is it the same as the Competition One Act?’ And most importantly- ‘Why should I go?’
Ms. Urbanciz, the director of the Winter Play, was asked a few of these questions and more.
“Soundscapes is very much about accepting yourself and who you are,” says Urbanciz.
The story centers around a girl named Iris who has synesthesia- a condition in which someone experiences tastes or sees colors from words they hear. The play focuses on Iris finding acceptance and understanding from herself, her family, and classmates, connecting with the challenges many students face at EHS.
With a play that puts a lot of emphasis on the experiences of students, the cast was very insightful about what they viewed as the true meaning of the play.
Sophomore Hildie Edwards shared her interpretation of the story, “I think Soundscapes can be a metaphor for dealing with neuro-divergence, and I think that’s really powerful in this day and age when neuro-divergence is often put aside.”
“I feel like it really explores things people deal with today,” sophomore Hudson Campbell commented, “especially since exploring synesthesia [in media] is a lot harder than other disorders.”
The interpretations of the play aren’t limited to just themes and ideas, but with how they present their characters.
Freshman Mel Major plays the color yellow in the play, and she described how expressing her character ties to her personally. “I envision what I feel like the color yellow looks like to me that day. Some days it’s different. Some days it’s brighter. Some days it’s more mellow yellow. I create a shape in my mind of what emotions I want to be projecting.”
Sophomore Megan Siegler has a more emotional approach to presenting her character. “So I play Little Iris – the six-year old version of the main character- and I kind of just channel how I was when I was that age. I loved different people, different things- stuff I could embrace as my character.”
Urbanciz mentioned how she frequently asks for input. If a scene feels weird, actors are offered the opportunity to express their creativity, and they rise to the challenge, but facing other problems in the process is an unavoidable aspect.
Edwards remarked on the hardest parts of her role, “One challenge I definitely had was a bit of the physicality because there was no set way to play the character, but I feel like I overcame it by realizing I can take creative liberties and just express what I feel.”
“I’ve never had a character that was kind of evil,” said Major in response to the same question, “and I play Pointy Star. He’s kind of the bad guy who steals everyone else’s color. It’s a fun acting challenge.”
“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs with illness and some of the things that are going on in the community that have made it hard to have everyone here for rehearsal,” said Urbanziz, “but they’ve all been troopers.”
The dedication of these actors will shine through in their performance on Friday, where they will present their work, and the Competition One Act will follow.
A major change from previous years is the combination of these two performances. Traditionally, the Competition One Act hasn’t had a performance weekend, and the Winter One Act (Play) stood alone. However, the two are now within the same performance, so the general public has the chance to actually watch the Competition One Act and Soundscapes, without missing the midst of the encore and winter-spring performances.
Though the Competition Act and Winter Play are presented together, a big question is how both experiences differ.
The Winter Play has a very wholesome and heartwarming atmosphere, while the Competition One-Act contrasts it with a historical theme and local story, but when it really comes down to it, why should people in the Eagan community go?
“I would say, come see it. It is the most amazing show. It is so much fun and just has a bunch of little quirks, and it’s just amazing,” comments Siegler. Major says it’s about finding yourself in the show, “If you ask yourself, what color are you? You can find yourself on stage.” Campbell ends with noting the depth of the show, “It’s a short show that you can kind of enjoy. There’s a lot of character development. There’s a lot of meaning, and I feel like it would be great to see.”
“Come to escape the world a little bit,” concluded Urbanciz, “because everything’s really heavy right now, so going to go see a show that does have an uplifting message in the end about accepting yourself and being kind to others, I think, is something that we need right now.”