Sakeenah Amatul

Students answer questions after the preshow for the show, In The Forest of the Night.

The annual student-directed Winter Scenes one-acts create a wonderful showcase featuring the dedication and passion of Metea Theater, running Feb. 5-7 at 7 p.m.

Winter Scenes is a voluntary project where students who, with proven understanding of theater directing, direct their very own scenes. 

“Mrs. Gervasio and I are the sponsors for Winter Scenes, and then we choose those who have the clearest vision of what it is that they want to produce, as well as strength of script, as well as experience,” Winter Scenes sponsor Benaiah Lundy said.

Unlike other theater performances, such as the fall production, children’s play, and the musical in spring, Winter Scenes have a much shorter production time, with a high demand from students. 

Directors are expected to have fully fleshed out scripts coming in, a great task in itself. Beyond that, auditions for actors, casting, having them memorize their lines, and tech to organize sound, lighting, and props are a lot to be crunched into four to six weeks. 

In actor auditions, students perform cold reads in small groups, and directors select their casts in a draft-style process. While roles are competitive, every actor gets a chance to be on stage. 

“Nobody sits out,” Lundy said. “As happens every year, actors drop out, people switch over, but by the time we get to this stage in the game, everything’s locked in.” 

For actors, the compressed rehearsal schedule adds pressure. 

“This year we had around a shorter time, so only a month,” sophomore Sam Khayum said. “We really had to make sure that we were efficiently getting our work time done.”

The work often extends beyond rehearsals. Actors record lines, practice on weekends, and rehearse whenever possible outside of school. Despite the intensity, the smaller scale of Winter Scenes is what draws students back. 

“You’re in a smaller group, so you really get to know those people you’re acting with really well,” Khayum said. “I still have friends from last year that I met in Winter Scenes.”

The showcase fills an important gap in the theater season, giving students a chance to direct and design without the months-long commitment, at the same time fully hone in on their independently creative capacities, working together to make it a reality. 

“It’s great to see students working in something they really want to do, and they’re passionate about,” Lundy said. “Our ability to express ourselves becomes more and more important every single day.”

Check out the Metea Valley Theater website for more information on what scenes, times, and tickets are available.