El Camino hosted its annual “Student-Directed One-Act Plays” this weekend starting on Friday night at 8 p.m. for the first show, and the second on Saturday in the Campus Theatre.
The opening night’s show drew in a sold-out crowd that showed up at least an hour prior to showtime. The event featured four different performances, with a 15-minute intermission after the first two performances.
Inside the theatre, signs that were posted on the wall that read “No photgraphy or videotaping.” According to Ron Scarlata, cellphones usage during a performance is distracting to the actors, which is why they are not allowed to be used.
The first scene, “Hello, Out There” directed by Katie Villanueva, brought some emotion in the crowd after the main character in the play was shot and killed.
“After the first play, I thought the rest of the scenes were going to be sad,” Sebastian Medina, 17, said. “I think the acting was well played, but tonight I just came here to see something funny.”
The remaining performances were “Schuber’s Last Serenade,” “PlayWriting 101: The Rooftop Lesson,” and “An Actor’s Nightmare,” filled the environment with tears of laughter, shifting from the dramatic first play to comedy.
Students from L.A. Harbor College, including Auburn Putz and her friend Kayla Rasovic, attended the first show as an assignment for their Humanities class.
Putz said she was surprised by how much talent the student performers have and the capacity of the crowd was something she did not expect.
“Honestly, I had a good time,” Putz said. “I did not think that many students would show up on a Friday night to a school event. I would definitely come to another performance here at El Camino.”
Rasovic said she was motivated by the performances and thinks that acting is something she wishes she would have pursued.
“I have not picked a major yet,” Rasovic said. “The students made it look so easy. I think I will consider taking a few drama classes in the future.”
The Center for the Arts’ next event is “An Evening of Dance Theatre,” which will be held at the Marsee Auditorium on Oct. 22 at 8 p.m with tickets costing $21 on the Center for the Arts’ website.
