Next month, the Marquette Theatre Company (MTC) will perform their annual senior-directed one act plays.

Judi Jones, theatre teacher, started one acts when she came to MHS 17 years ago, but they used to be done as dinner theatre.

“It just got to be too much and it was really expensive, so last year we started doing them in the theater as one act plays,” Jones said.

This year, 10 one acts are being performed, more than any other year.

Due to the larger than average number of shows this year, auditions were extended and opened to juniors and seniors for the first time.

Sam Huizenga, sophomore, participated in two one acts last year, “The Seussification of Romeo and Juliet” and “Boy Meets Girl”last year, so he was familiar with the audition process for his second year in one acts.

“About 15 minutes before your audition time, you get a cold read and then you figure out how you want your emotions to be throughout the script,” Huizenga said. “Sometimes the directors would want you to do some weird stuff. I was asked to do my cold read like I just got stabbed.”

This year, Huizenga will appear in the one act “Romeo, You Idiot.”

Mallory Chiles, sophomore, likes one acts because they are great way to get involved with theatre without participating in a huge production. This year, she will appear in the one act “Otherwise Engaged.”

“I’ve always liked theatre but I’ve always been concerned about remembering lines and one acts have much shorter roles. Now that I know I’m capable of learning lines I plan on auditioning for a full size play,” Chiles said.

Kathryn Milla, senior, is making her directorial debut this year with the one act “Five Ex-Wives in the ICU,” a comedy centering around five women who rush to their ex-husband’s side in the ICU and fight to win back his love, despite the fact that he is unconscious.

As director, it was up to Milla to cast the best actors for each role in her play.

“I made a chart of each of my characters and all their qualities, so when each person came in to audition, they would do their monologue and if someone could act in way that fit one of my characters, I would mark their name down and then I just picked from those lists,” Milla said.

Each character in the play has a very distinct and wild personality, so casting was very important.

“I was looking for very outgoing, very fun characters,” Milla said. “They’re all very different characters, for example one is just crazy, one is a nature freak. I wanted people who could be very independent and out there.”

One Acts will be performed in the theater on Nov 14 and tickets will cost $5.