'Stoplight' turns green as One Act continues to roll

Small town America has a mystique, a nostalgia that still beckons, for some strange reason. Oshkoshians may feel like they are living in the middle of nowhere, but they really have no idea. A truly tiny town, a place with secrets and the time to tell them, drives the fall One Act performance by Sock ‘n Buskin, West’s drama squad.

Drama teacher Scott Thurwatcher was immediately attracted to the basic plot of “One Stoplight Town.”

“It follows the progression of 25 years in a tiny town that has one stoplight and it follows the progression of the characters through those years,” he said. “It’s got this couple that meet each other after a high school dance, and the next scene they’re getting married, having a child, etc.”

Senior Kara Kaiser enjoys the time gaps in between scenes and feels they add more to the story. 

“It’s fun, it's funny, and nostalgic,” she said. “It's like putting all of these different generations together into one thing.”

Thurwatcher was adamant in selecting a one-act play that would allow for maximum time-efficiency. 

“I like having one-act plays with scenes, with small vignettes because it’s just easier to rehearse with and get people in to work one scene at a time,” he said. “I also wanted something I could do with a simple set, especially because the one-act play is a competition where we travel.” 

Junior Julian Dedow was excited to work on “One Stoplight Town” and break down its unique structure. 

“It’s pretty cool, actually,” he said. “It’s made up of just a bunch of little scenes. A lot of them don’t have a lot to do with each other, but they all kind of tie together at the end.” 

“Stoplight” follows an apparently deeper message past its initial plot. Thurwatcher has his own interpretation of the central and singular stoplight in the play. 

“The stoplight acts as a metaphor,” he says. “We need to all stop, take our time, slow down. The whole show is about change and how we handle that.”

Sophomore Marcus Miller discovered deeper themes in the production by comparing himself to his character, Bob.  

“My character is a representation of the old ways in life, and how people are afraid of change that is happening,” he said. “I definitely resonate with that because change is scary sometimes and you don't know what’s going to happen, so sometimes you just need to take on that stoplight and keep going.” 

The one-act team had a short and sweet time constraint before they hit the stage. Thurwatcher acknowledges that the quick-pace can be challenging. 

“We don’t get much time to prepare, that’s for sure,” he said. “By the time school started and there were no W-hours available, by the time everything gets rolling, I think we had auditions in the third week of September, so we really only got four  weeks to prepare before district.” 

Miller feels the pressure of time, but also enjoys the process.

“We didn’t really rehearse it or go through many read-throughs,” he said. “We got in the space right away and just started blasting it out, which was really kind of fun in a way. You get a more in-depth feel of the environment and characters on stage rather than in Mr. Thurwatchers room.”

The one-act cast recently advanced through district-level competitions on October 15. Sophomore Addi Peck had mixed feelings during the first level of competition. 

“It was very odd because our first competition was at West,” she said. “It was like ‘oh yeah, we’re performing, we perform everyday.’ Then Neenah performed and they were so good, and that’s when it kind of set in that this was an actual competition and performance.”

Thurwatcher felt proud of his students’ performance, but recognized that there was still room for improvement. 

“Let’s just say we have a lot of work to do,” he said. “It’s just one of those things where the more practice you get, the more experience you get, just the better it will be.” 

Kaiser takes a similar outlook and review of the cast’s performance. 

“We did the timing well, everyone was trying their hardest and their best,” she said. “We made it through, and now all we can do is improve from here.” 

Sections took place at Neenah High School this past weekend. Thurwatcher was excited for the next steps. 

“Sectionals is a big one since that’s the one you go to to qualify for state,” he said. “That’s kind of a huge deal. Hopefully, if all goes well, state is at UW-Stevens Point this year, and then we’ll get to go perform there.” 

Thurwatcher saw a few key and particular tweaks the cast needed to complete for success at sectionals. 

“The thing I keep preaching with them is focus, focus, focus,” he said. “If we can remain focused and work on what we need to do, things like articulation and projection, then it’ll go a lot better.”

Miller agrees with and acknowledges Thurwatcher’s concerns and recommendations.

“As Thurwatcher says, ‘lock in.’ We do struggle with that, we do get a bit distracted sometimes as a cast,  I will say,” he said. “Hopefully, we can just ‘lock it in’ and just deliver a knockout performance for sectionals.”

Even in the wake of difficulty, the group has big goals and ambitions they look forward to meeting. Addi Peck was hopeful for the sectional weekend. 

“I think all of us would like to make it to state,” she said. “I think we are all working very hard towards that, and that is the collective goal of the group.”

Thurwatcher would like to continue West’s streak of success with its drama productions.

“We didn’t have One Act last year, but we were kind of on a roll there,” he said. “We had gone to state two years in a row, brought home a lot of individual acting roles and a couple of ensemble awards. We’ve been doing really, really well, so I would like to keep that rolling.” 

Qualifications and advancements are dependent on a point system. Thurwatcher has seen recent changes in the system. 

“You need so many points to advance to the next level,” he said. “It’s our first year doing that. It used to just be that ⅔ of the judges had to either say advance or stop, meaning you don’t go onto the next level.” 

Moving past materialistic achievements and awards, Thurwatcher feels the real reward of the one-act can be found within the community and team environment. 

“I think the words I always hear are inclusive; how everyone always feels comfortable around everyone,” he said. “Even to new people to the club, the school, or people who’ve been around forever, everyone's always just so welcoming and they become this really cool family. Sometimes I’m jealous I’m not part of it.”

Sophomore Gabby Heiling is a new addition to the one-act and felt very welcomed and accepted into the community. 

“We’ve only known each other for about a month, but it’s almost like we’ve become a family,” she said. “Everyone knows everyone, and we’re all there to push each other to make the play the best it can be. We’re not afraid to call each other out when we are messing up lines, but it’s always in a kind spirit.”

Heiling hopes that the team’s efforts will be recognized by many. 

“I’ve never acted before and I auditioned purely to try something new in high school,” she said. “Everyone there is really nice and Mr. Thurwatcher puts a lot of effort into this. I hope that people can really see that when they come to see the show.” 

Thurwatcher looks forward to the future and reflects on the process and possibilities of success.
“There's not a better feeling in the world than when you've heard the judges say ‘you’ve advanced to state’ and then you hear the students, the cast erupt and scream,” he said. “I still get goosebumps when I think about it, to see them so excited that they’ve accomplished something so great. That’s probably my favorite part.”

by Hannah Chung

Oshkosh West Index Volume 118 Issue 2

November 1st, 2021