Student Spotlight: Emma Lacy 

Every year the Stage One team puts on student written and directed one act plays. These student writers consist of students who have been a part of Stage One’s previous productions, or students who are just curious about the playwriting experience itself. This year, Emma Lacy ‘23, who previously performed in the musical, has written a play for this year’s One Act productions. 

Emma explains, “I’ve wanted to do play writing for awhile. (Previously) I’ve written a lot of scenes,…and little vignette pieces, but I’ve never really put together a whole play. So…with this opportunity, I decided I was going to write a whole play and put it all together for One Acts.”

Each student writer can choose any topic to write their plays on, including topics that have never been explored in any of the Stage One’s productions. Emma explains, “My play is a drama centered around two girls and their relationship… A lot of people in Stage One are queer, and I wanted to give them a queer romcom that actually represents a high school relationship, meaning that it’s awkward, really awkward.”

The process of writing this play was very difficult. However, Emma was prepared for the challenges she had to face including rewriting lines, reordering lines, and figuring out the other aspects of theater she was unfamiliar with, including lights and costumes. 

Emma mainly drew inspiration from real life experiences. She explains, “I’m pretty shameless around my friends. I’d be like, ‘ooh that’s a good line, I’m using that or there’s definitely one person he knows I’m using him for a character…it’s mostly conversations that I hear where I’m like, ‘this is an interesting dynamic,’ and I take that and…(think) what would these characters do in this situation, and then make that a scene.” 

At the moment, Emma’s play is rehearsing in a workshop method. This means that they are putting on the play, many times, in full so Emma can see what she would need to change in the script and in the play itself. 

Although her performance date is just a couple days away (Saturday May 13th), there are few actors available to put on Emma’s play. She explains, “We lost some performers because of the date change…we’ve lost two of my six performers so I am trying to get another person, but if not I will fill in (as an actor).”

However despite this inconvenience, Emma is ready and prepared to show those who see the One Acts what she has been working on for months. Emma explains, “I’m hoping the adults in the audience will remember being 15, and I’m hoping the teens will see themselves in this play, because a lot of teenage actors don’t get to play teenagers…I wanted to write something that has honest teenage characters.” 

So, come to the Black Box on Saturday May 13 to see Emma’s, and other student’s, self written plays. You won’t want to miss this.