Arts • Report

The MA Winter One Act Festival

By Alice Perry '28 in Winter 2026

Every 2 years, the MA theater program holds one of its best traditions — the Winter One Act Play Festival. A one act is a short play that highlights an actor's ability to play with emotions and convey a story in only around 10 minutes. These short plays are directed by the Advanced Theater Company class, composed of Senior and Junior actors. Each one chose a compelling story to tell, creating a diverse group of shows to take the stage.

Ray Bradbury's The Veldt, directed by Davy Forrester '26, tells of a magical playroom in which two kids try to appease hungry lions. Directed by Joshua Kaminsky '26, a philosophical bird departs wisdom on two researchers in Ancient Wisdom Of The Shoebill Stork, by Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn. Juniors Charlie Bettis-Evans and Leslie Rosoff worked together to direct the hilarious 1-800-DISS-GUYS, by Max Tachis, which follows two professional insult creators as they advertise their products. Tracey Scott Wilson's Small World, directed by Sandia Zolotow '26, follows 3 new couples on a blind date as they reveal strange connections between their exes in a turn of comedy. Tanner Coghlan '27 directs George Kaufman's The Still Alarm, a comedy that highlights ironic British politeness in a normally stressful situation. In Skewed, a dark comedy written and directed by Tillie Solomon '27, a woman justifies murdering her boyfriend to a police officer. Sophie Strassman '26 directs Anton Chekhov's The Proposal, a story about a hypochondriac man who wants to propose to his neighbor's determined daughter, and the trivial arguments that follow. Words, Words, Words, written by David Ives and directed by Mats Tyreus '26, references Hamlet's line "words, words, words" in William Shakespeare's Hamlet as three chimpanzees named Kafka, Milton, and Swift attempt to produce their own Hamlet in an exploration of the infinite monkey theorem. Senior Lucca Moore chose to direct Now We're Really Getting Somewhere, by Kristina Halvorson, which follows three women when their office routine is disrupted by a man. Elan Garonzik's Adulation, directed by Lincoln Garrett '26, tells the story of a man organizing a work dinner when a dancer changes his plans. Griffin Reid '26 directs the chaotic story of a time machine invented by scientists looking to settle a score in The Fast and the Führer-Less, by John Busser.

Each of these 11 short shows performed two out of three nights on the 4th, 5th, and 6th of February in the MA Theater. They serve as a way to highlight the directorial talent of the Advanced Theater Company students as well as showcasing the acting talent of the MA student body.