One Act Places Second In 5AA
Their Show "The Triangle Factory Fire Project" Performed Last Night.
Last night, Buffalo’s One Act publicly performed ‘The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Project’, which depicted the famous 1911 workplace fire that ended the lives of 147 individuals. The factory was mostly composed of female and migrant workers. Of the 147 dead, 123 were women. ‘The Triangle Factory Fire Project’ focuses on one victim, Margaret Schwarz, played by Avery Russek ‘26, who died at the hands of a locked door. The show depicts the events leading up to the fire, the fire itself, and the aftermath of the trial, including how the death affected the victim’s family.
One Act is judged on a scale from 1 to 6, with each judge ranking all six competing shows on that scale. Buffalo started their season strong with a perfect 1-1-1 score. “I am confident but very nervous for it because, just like any other performance, I get nervous before showing it to people.” said lighting designer Jojo Nosbush ‘24. One Act is especially difficult for lightning and sound crew because each school has a different set up. “I don’t pre program the lights and have to light the stage on the fly.” She added. Freshman Gutherie Lostetter was confident in Buffalo’s ability to do well. “I think we have a really good foundation for a show,” she said, “ and if we all work to improve the show little by little, [I] just think we’ll do really well.”
The culture of One Act is arguably more important than the actual competitions. “Everyone is being polite and helping people out if they need it.” Said assistant director Drew Elo. “It’s like, hey don’t have a chair we forgot it. All right, well we got plenty of chairs!” “Everyone is super nice and supportive, and we all work together to improve the show.” Said Lostetter ‘28. Because it’s so small “we all bond differently than we would in a place or musical.” Added Nosbush ‘24.
Even though Buffalo isn’t competing at state, the cast and crew have learned lessons they will carry with them in the future. “I have learned that I can do things even if the circumstance is weird and different.” said Nosbush ‘24. Lostetter ‘28 has learned “to improve myself and take criticism well.”
Buffalo will attend state this Thursday and Friday as alternates for section champions STMA.
