This year’s one-act play is known to be more depressing than previous ones. According to Senior Andrew Ansah, one of the actors in one-act, this is why this year’s play is so tiring for the actors. In order to compensate for this exhaustion, the cast does various team bonding exercises that help them get to know each other.

“This play is not a very happy one, [so] after the really intense scenes, [when] everyone is really drained, we usually play some theater games,” Ansah said.

According to Ansah, the team bonding helps the cast relax and focus.

“I like the cast bonding because it [takes us] beyond being just peers. We honestly become friends through this. Doing this [show] is no small feat; it takes a lot of work, a lot of concentration, and this cast bonding is a good way to relieve tension. The games get us moving, and it makes me feel happy,” Ansah said.

The positive feeling that the games induce are appreciated by some of the other cast members as well. Sophomore Marena Benton agrees with Ansah and enjoys the activities that bring them closer together.

“I really like having a community of people where I can just be myself. The more time you spend with these people, the closer you’ll get, so the friendships and relationships are my favorite part; it’s what I value the most, and it’s the best thing I get out of this entire experience,” Benton said.

However, the cast doesn’t only do the exercises after the harder scenes.

“We do some sort of team bonding game in warmups almost everyday. It really is important [because] having chemistry in between the actors is one of the most [vital] parts of a show. If the cast and crew aren’t close, then the whole show falls apart,” Benton said.

In Ansah’s opinion, the exercises not only help them get to know each other, but it helps to relieve the stress that school produces.

“Sometimes we do something called a ‘positivity circle’ because a lot of people can get stressed out because [of] school. It’s also a good way to warm up our voices. I find it relaxing, and it’s a good way to relieve all of our tension that we might have,” Ansah said.  

The cast does a variety of exercises, but a lot of them involve the actors interacting with each other. According to Benton, it’s not at all difficult.

“In the cast, there’s not a lot of disagreements or arguing. We’re all pretty close. It’s really not that hard,” Benton said.

According to the actors, the overall experience is very positive, and it really helps the cast to connect and to be able to put on a good performance.