Review
      of
      A
      Night
      of
      One
      Acts
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Brodie
      MacRAE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Hopefully,
      everyone
      reading
     
     
      this
      had
      the
      common
      sense
      to
      make
      it
     
     
      out
      to
      the
      UPEI
      Theatre
      Society
      One
     
     
      Acts
      this
      semester.
      If
      not,
      for
      shame!
     
     
      Not
      supporting
      your
      campus
      theatre
     
     
      organization
      like
      that!
      Missing
      out
      on
     
     
      some
      fantastic
      entertainment
      as
      well.
     
     
      You've
      only
      hurt
      yourself,
      you
      know.
     
     
      It's
      pitiful,
      really.
     
    

    
     
      It
      has
      become
      an
      annual
      tradi-
     
     
      tion
      for
      the
      UPEI
      Theatre
      society
      to
     
     
      hold
      a
      night
      of
      one
      acts
      in
      the
      fall
     
     
      semester.
      This
      year's
      one
      acts
      took
     
     
      place
      on
      the
      evenings
      of
      the
      14th
      -
     
     
      16th
      of
      November
      in
      the
      Duffy
     
     
      Amphitheatre
      with
      three
      plays
      on
      the
     
     
      agenda:
      Postponing
      the
      Heat
      Death
      of
     
     
      the
      Universe
      by
      Stephen
      Gregg,
      Poets
     
     
      by
      Lennie
      MacPherson
      and
      Matt
     
     
      Stewart
      and
      /nteriors
      by
      Dean
      Barrett.
     
     
      The
      productions
      were
      entirely
      student
     
     
      produced,
      directed
      (with
      the
      exception
     
     
      of
      Danny
      Maloney)
      and
      acted.
     
    

    
     
      Postponing
      the
      Heat
      Death
      of
     
     
      the
      Universe
      was
      directed
      by
      Danny
     
     
      Maloney
      and
      featured
      Adam
      Gauthier
     
     
      as
      Nick
      a
      freshman
      who
      has
      just
      dis-
     
     
      covered
      he
      has
      lost
      a
      contest
      for
      a
     
     
      $5000
      scholarship;
      Mary
      Clements
      as
     
     
      Stacy,
      his
      potential
      love
      interest;
      and
     
     
      Melanie
      Stavert
      as
      Jackie,
      the
      winner
     
     
      of
      the
      scholarship
      contest.
      The
      story
     
     
      takes
      place
      in
      a
      university
      dorm
      room
     
     
      shortly
      after
      Nick
      has
      discovered
      that
     
     
      he
      lost
      the
      contest.
      Jackie
      comes
      into
     
     
      his
      room
      uninvited
      to
      offer
      him
      condo-
     
     
      lences
      and
      rub
      her
      victory
      in
      his
      face,
     
     
      but
      Nick
      makes
      gloating
      difficult
      for
     
     
      her
      by
      refusing
      to
      move
      from
      his
      bed.
     
     
      The
      rationale
      he
      offers
      is
      that
      since
     
     
      theoretically
      someday,
      all
      of
      the
      energy
     
     
      in
      the
      universe
      will
      be
      used,
      resulting
     
     
      in
      its
      heat
      death,
      by
      lying
      still
      and
      not
     
     
      expending
      energy,
      he
      is
      granting
     
     
      mankind
      a
      few
      extra
      moments
      of
      exis-
     
     
      tence.
      However,
      in
      his
      attempt
      to
      keep
     
     
      the
      universe
      from
      plunging
      into
      disor-
     
     
      der,
      he
      allows
      Jackie
      to
      bring
      chaos
      to
     
     
      both
      his
      room
      by
      messing
      it
      up
      and
      his
     
     
      life
      by
      jeopardizing
      his
      potential
      rela-
     
     
      tionship
      with
      Stacy.
      In
      the
      ensuing
      dis-
     
     
      order,
      both
      Nick
      and
      Jackie
      lower
      their
     
     
      barriers
      and
      discover
      they
      have
      more
     
     
      in
      common
      than
      they
      realised.
     
    

    
     
      Although
      this
      isn't
      one
      of
     
     
      Gregg's
      stronger
      scripts,
      it
      has
      its
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Interiors
      was
      so
      risque
      that
      on
      the
      third
      night
      some
      crowd
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      members
      left
      for
      the
      exteriors
      (of
      Duffy)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      charm.
      It's
      clever,
      intelligent
      and
     
     
      enjoyable.
      The
      ending
      is
      bit
      cheesy,
     
     
      which
      I
      found
      it
      a
      little
      hard
      to
      digest,
     
     
      but
      the
      story
      and
      dialogue
      keep
      the
     
     
      audience's
      attention
      very
      well.
      The
      set
     
     
      was
      a
      problem,
      as
      although
      it
      was
      sup-
     
     
      posed
      to
      be
      two
      separate
      dorm
      rooms
      ~
     
     
      (Stacy's
      and
      Nick's),
      the
      initial
      impres-
     
     
      sion
      was
      that
      it
      was
      one
      room
      and
      that
     
     
      the
      two
      were
      roommates.
      The
      rooms
     
     
      themselves
      were
      well-designed
      and
      the
     
     
      contrast
      between
      the
      two
      was
      strong,
     
     
      Nick's
      being
      somewhat
      unorganized
     
     
      while
      Stacy's
      was
      neat
      and
      tidy.
      This
     
     
      highlighted
      the
      theme
      of
      order
      vs.
     
     
      chaos
      that
      was
      central
      to
      the
      play.
     
     
      However,
      they
      needed
      to
      be
      separated
     
     
      somehow
      to
      avoid
      confusing
      the
      audi-
     
     
      ence
      for
      the
      first
      5
      minutes.
      The
      actors
     
     
      were
      all
      well
      suited
      to
      their
      characters
     
     
      and
      played
      them
      with
      ease,
      but
      they
     
     
      didn't
      play
      off
      each
      other
      terribly
      well.
     
     
      The
      chemistry
      between
      Nick
      and
     
     
      Jackie
      wasn't
      very
      strong,
      which
     
     
      should
      have
      developed
      faster
      for
      their
     
     
      eventual
      pairing
      up
      to
      be
      realistic.
     
     
      Matt
      Stewart
      and
      Lennie
     
     
      MacPherson
      wrote,
      directed
      and
     
     
      starred
      in
      Poets,
      the
      only
      student-writ-
     
     
      ten
      production
      of
      the
      night.
      The
      story
     
     
      focuses
      on
      two
      young
      poets,
      Julian
      and
     
     
      Murphy.
      Murphy
      is
      struggling
      to
      write
     
     
      a
      quality
      poem
      about
      a
      failed
      romance
     
     
      and
      Julian
      is
      trying
      to
      convince
      a
      scep-
     
     
      tical
      friend
      of
      the
      relevance
      of
      poetry
     
     
      in
      today's
      society.
      The
      play
      also
      fea-
     
     
      tured
      Norah
      Pendergast
      as
      Lucinda,
     
     
      Julian's
      friend
      and
      Joey
      Weale
      as
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Arthur,
      the
      teacher
      of
      the
      poetry
      class.
     
    

    
     
      This
      show
      was
      simply
      great
     
     
      and
      not
      just
      because
      Matt
      Stewart
      is
     
     
      my
      boss.
      The
      acting
      was
      very
      strong,
     
     
      especially
      from
      Weale,
      whose
      comedic
     
     
      timing
      and
      ability
      to
      create
      an
      interest-
     
     
      ing
      character
      never
      ceases
      to
      amaze.
     
     
      Although
      a
      few
      aspects
      of
      the
      script
     
     
      were
      unclear,
      it
      was
      consistently
      funny
     
     
      and
      the
      subject
      matter
      was
      intelligent.
     
     
      The
      poems
      that
      were
      supposed
      to
      be
     
     
      bad
      were
      very
      bad
      and
      the
      good
      poems
     
     
      quite
      good.
      It
      was
      even
      a
      bit
      enlighten-
     
     
      ing,
      offering
      arguments
      as
      to
      why
     
     
      poetry
      is
      as
      valid
      an
      art
      as
      any
      other
     
     
      and
      remains
      thus
      today.
     
    

    
     
      Interiors
      was
      directed
      by
     
     
      Theatre
      Society
      veteran
      Erin
      Fagan
     
     
      and
      assisted
      by
      Andrew
      MacPhee.
      The
     
     
      play
      is
      about
      an
      encounter
      between
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Deighan
      addressing
      the
      crowd
      as
      to
      the
      perils
      of
      women.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      two
      relatively
      dull
      students,
      Amy
      and
     
     
      Michael
      (played
      by
      Jenn
      MacLean
      and
     
     
      Gary
      Vincent),
      while
      their
      ids
      hover
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -
      behind
      them
      (Marieve
      MacGregor
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Brad
      Deighan),
      saying
      whatever
      filthy
     
     
      things
      are
      really
      on
      their
      minds,
      which
     
     
      was
      usually
      sex.
     
    

    
     
      Aside
      from
      occasional
      pacing
     
     
      problems
      and
      technical
      difficulties
     
     
      with
      the
      soundtrack,
      the
      show
      ran
      quite
     
     
      smoothly.
      MacGregor
      and
      Deighan
     
     
      were
      very
      well-cast
      and
      seemed
      to
     
     
      enjoy
      themselves
      immensely
      on
      stage.
     
     
      Vincent
      and
      MacLean
      were
      also
      com-
     
     
      fortable
      in
      their
      roles
      and
      their
      intro-
     
     
      vertedness
      provided
      sufficient
      contrast
     
     
      to
      their
      shameless
      ids.
      The
      dialogue
      of
      |
     
     
      the
      ids
      was
      shockingly
      funny,
      which
     
     
      more
      often
      than
      not
      sits
      rather
      well
     
     
      with
      university
      students.
      Overall,
      great
     
     
      show.
     
    

    
     
      These
      were
      definitely
      the
      best
     
     
      set
      of
      one
      acts
      UPEI
      TS
      has
      produced
     
     
      since
      I've
      been
      here
      and
      probably
     
     
      many
      years
      before
      that.
      The
      plays
      were
     
     
      all
      very
      appropriate
      for
      a
      university
     
     
      audience,
      featuring
      characters
      and
      situ-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ations
      to
      which
      students
      can
      relate,
      not
     
    
   
   
    
     
      to
      mention
      the
      fact
      that
      all
      the
      plays
     
     
      were
      comedic
      and
      somewhat
      intelli-
     
     
      gent.
      For
      the
      first
      time
      in
      years,
      the
     
     
      low
      budget
      of
      the
      plays
      wasn't
      evident
     
     
      on
      the
      stage.
      The
      Theatre
      Society
     
     
      adapted
      commendably
      to
      the
     
     
      amphitheatre's
      limitations
      as
      a
      per-
     
     
      formance
      venue,
      making
      it
      less
      offen-
     
     
      sive
      to
      the
      eyes
      than
      I
      had
      believed
     
     
      possible.
      Well
      worth
      the
      five
      dollars.