Broadneck High Presents 'A Night of One-Act Comedies'

With plenty of laughs and a few tender moments, completed its final night of its three-night comedy festival Saturday, a performance enjoyed by parents, children and even a few teachers. 

Broadneck’s Dramatics Guild, a group consisting of roughly 20 students and headed up by teacher Kevin Whewell, is a group accredited with putting on quality, feel-good productions that both the performers and audience enjoy.

“I wasn’t really worried or nervous getting up there” said Broadneck freshman and One-Act performer Brooke Penne. “I felt confident, and I had a lot of fun.”

The idea behind a one-act comedy festival is actually quite simple—the entire play is divvied up into short, 20- to 30-minute comedic mini-plays. Some are set up as individual parts and some have a continuous storyline spread throughout the show.

This particular show consisted of seven scripted segments with performances at both the opening and intermission by Broadneck’s other stage group, the Improv Club. This group acted out several of the improv classics, including "Who’s Line?" and “World’s Worst,” but threw in a few new games as well, including “What Are You Doing?” and “Cut to ….”

Broadneck’s Dramatics Guild is a tight-knit group of friends, ranging from freshmen to seniors; several of their performances, including their most recent one, are frequently attended by Dramatics Guild alumni. For several older students preparing to graduate at the end of the year, A Night of One-Act Comedies, and the upcoming play, Arsenic and Old Lace, will be their last performance at Broadneck before they go off to college.

“As a senior, this will be my first and last one act comedy festival, said One-Act and Improv performer Benjamin Sloskey. “It’ll be sad to go, but I think this show went over really well, and I cant wait to audition for the next one.”

Editor's note: Patch contributor Pablo Escobosa was a participant in this year's production.