This past weekend Harriton Theater Company performed this year’s winter production: a series of three one-act plays. The three shows, A Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden, The Fire, and The Audition featured dedicated and talented actors who delivered exceptional performances during all four of the sold out shows! Student directors Dani Ochroch, Olivia Sun, Marcel Werder and Sam Eisner created something truly remarkable this weekend.

Olivia Sun says, “It’s been such an honor to direct this show! Thanks to all my actors and my assistant director Marcel Werder!”

The performance itself began with A Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden, which takes place in New Jersey during the 1920s, and pleasantly recalls a time when Trenton and Camden were places one goes on purpose. Immediately following was The Fire, a brief but striking abstraction of fog and lights inside the mind of Tande, our heroine and guide through the eerie beyond.

After a brief intermission, the audience sat down for what was definitely the most fun show of the night: The Audition, a self-deprecating and sidesplitting comedy that ended the festival on a high note. Notable performances included Tom Schimtz, who played “Stage Director” of The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden, Rachel Bershad, “Downer” of The Fire, and Jon Zamsky (Stage Manager) and Coby Levit (Alison’s Father) of The Audition.

All of the actors delivered compelling and thought provoking performances that left the audience laughing, crying and applauding at the end of the two-hour run time. The Saturday evening show itself was actually postponed to Sunday night due to inclement weather, and the whole company rose gracefully to the occasion, adapting to the inconvenience with admirable teamwork and maturity; a credit to the leadership in this tight knit community.

The Festival took place on a student built set in the Blackbox Theater. Many of the props used were built by the students themselves, and they – the students of stage crew and the set pieces they built – played a critical role in the success of this production. Many theater patrons are not aware of the work that goes into Harriton Theater productions behind the scenes. The effortless production was credited to the Stage Crew and heads Desiré Bennet and Jason Kemp.

In fact, almost every element of the One Act Festival was student created. Every costume was meticulously curated to accentuate the message that the actor was communicating to the audience. The same goes for hair, makeup, lights and sound. Great job and congratulations to all who worked on this production!

Photos by Jamie Lazarus