CCNY One-Acts: Reviews
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
By Max Pearson and Joseph E. Parker
Group F Reviews
By Max Pearson
The CCNY One-Acts were several student-written and directed plays performed during the weekend of May 10th. Split into several groups of four, the plays were approximately seven minutes long, offering a quick way to see many students perform. This is a review for Group F, which included Hunting Bigfoot?, Speed Dating, Phone Sex & A Dumb Show, and The Baby.
Group F’s production opened with Hunting Bigfoot?, written by Darby O'Donnell and directed by Matthew Koning. Two hopeful bigfoot picture-takers, Ben (Pei Lian Li) and Lucy (Shyann Moss) are terrified and surprised when Bigfoot (Olivia Cruz) invites them to dinner at his home. Tension grows as Bigfoot's wife (Darby O'Donnell) clashes with her husband over the safety of inviting human “hunters” over, especially with their two teenage children, Michael (Isaiah Saltos) and Victoria (Daisy Kim). The show kept a comedic tone throughout, strongly bolstered by the performance of Saltos, who plays Bigfoot's brooding, metalhead teenage son. With relatively few lines, Saltos’ physical comedy and commitment to his character greatly boosted the humor of an already funny show. While the show earns its laughs, it seems as though it concludes before an emotional resolution can be reached between Bigfoot and his wife — and before the hunters get the photo they sought after. Overall, Hunting Bigfoot? felt like a comedic beginning to a much larger project.
The second play, Speed Dating, written by Nedra Pezold Roberts and directed by Anaïs Lee Escobar, fit the one-act structure perfectly. Set up as a seven-minute “round” of a larger speed dating competition, the flirtatious, confident Iris (Davani Melendez) and the awkward, intrusive Art (Vladimir Manosalvas) play off each other well. The play poses several interesting questions about what it means to be human. Manosalvas portrays Art as overly earnest, but well-meaning, as he asks Iris — and the audience — what different facial expressions convey, what it means to date, and what “attraction” feels like. As time goes on, it becomes clear that Art is an artificial intelligence chatbot. Upon realizing this, Iris short-circuits: she, too, is a robot. Speed Dating was a quick, funny romp that encouraged a bit of reflection among its audience members.
Phone Sex & A Dumb Show was the most subversive of the bunch. Written by Steven Sater and directed by Danah Hardison, lonely man Gray (Mikey Gordon) is tormented by a Peeping Tom (Morayo Idowu) who won't stop calling. Phone Sex & A Dumb Show, while having the shortest runtime, certainly made up for it in impact. Idowu's performance had the audience roaring with laughter as she stalked around Gray, confidently delivering charged lines. Gordon's performance as an ambiguously lonely man (it's implied a previous lover left him — under what circumstances is unclear) leaves the audience with many questions. Phone Sex & A Dumb Show seems uninterested in exploring these questions further: It's content to be a quick, silly presentation that encourages its audience to think about it for long after.
The Baby rounded out a set of largely comedic performances with a more serious tone. Written by Rob Burch and directed by Hazel Stevenson, The Baby shows an unnamed man (Aidan Hilaire) and woman (Marina Viscovic) coming home to discuss a dinner party. A larger conflict looms over the story: The man, having enjoyed playing catch with the hosts' child, is frustrated with the woman, who reasserts that she doesn't want a baby. The strength in this production lies in the realism of its characters. The man fails to express his frustrations, continuously brushing off the women’s bids for connection and honesty. The woman deflects uncomfortable feelings with critiques of others: the host, the hosts’ parenting, or her own husband. Neither character is fully "perfect", offering the audience a glimpse into a real-life scenario. In the end, the result of their argument is ambiguous.
Overall, the one-acts were an interesting look into CCNY's theater department landscape. The diversity of performances, writing styles and production setups is remarkable, and made for an engaging, interesting show. For a person looking for a sample of what the theater department has to offer, the one-act festival will be a haven of creativity, humor and talent.
My Review of the Annual One-Acts Festival
By Joseph E. Parker
It was on May 7 th at 6:30 pm, when I arrived in front of Studio Theatre 310 in Compton-Goethals Hall. I went inside and was surrounded by curious people who traveled from afar to
witness a great show. From one act to another, the characters in each story were dealing with
death, queer connections, self-doubt, infatuations, gender change, couples, and random
conversations, including breakdowns in some scenes. The sets for each act were convincing, and
the props were very useful.
The performers and directors really worked so hard on their roles after those open dress
rehearsals. Their acting skills were so impressive as the audience members stayed quiet and
slightly laughed at the comedic timing. There were discussions with some of the actors who were
fantastic. It was fun and inspiring to watch and learn from. I realized that anyone can be an actor,
even a student or an instructor. If it’s your dream, go for it.
As I was watching the four performances, I enjoyed the third play called The Story with the
narrator telling a story as he was driving. The other actor was wearing the leather jacket having a
mental crisis with his stuffed partner (a Kermit the Frog puppet) after getting drunk and queer at
a late-night party. But I really enjoyed the fourth act because it was about two girls who are best
friends spending time together. The African American girl named Millie had a love crisis with a
boy trying to be a man and the Latin American girl named Jo tries to help her girlfriend out with
a plan to get over the guy who broke Millie’s heart. There was drama, pain, determination,
modern dating and one pop culture reference (Spider-Man).
After I talked with some of the actors, I enjoyed the three other plays and left with a smile on
my face.
Max Pearson is a City College transfer student majoring in education. Her dream is to be an elementary school teacher and a published novelist. When not writing, she can be found embroidering flowers on her sweaters, exploring NYC, or nerding out about historical medicine to anyone who will listen.
Joseph E. Parker was born and raised in the Bronx, NY, with a passion for art and research. He studies Art at City College with an associate's degree in Digital Design & Animation from Hostos Community College in 2024. He has experience in youth programs, volunteer work, and customer service. His skills are visual development, character design, drawing, writing, and voiceover. He works at Michaels and Yankee Stadium and is a part of Best Buddies, supporting individuals with disabilities.
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