MHS Players Present: Tough City, Prone to Rain (one-act play)
When the Messalonskee Players take the stage at 7 o’clock Friday night to perform Tough City, Prone to Rain, don’t plan for a long night at the Messalonskee Performing Arts Center. The performance should be over by about 7:30.
That is the nature of a one-act play.
But what you get in that 30 minutes should be well worth the price admission, according to play director John Logan.
What: Tough City, Prone to Rain (one-act play)
Who: Messalonskee Players
When: 3 performances: 7 p.m. Friday, noon and 2 p.m. Saturday
Where: Messalonskee Performing Arts Center
Admission: $5 adults, $2 students (proceeds to support Messalonskee Players)
In contrast to the traditional full-length play, a one-act production is what Logan described as “three acts in one.”
The net effect, he said, is a half-hour power packed with action and drama. For the audience, the experience can be exhilarating. For the cast and director, the experience can be both exhilarating and demanding.
“It is a challenge,” Logan said. “It is more challenging than developing a full-length play.”
In a one act play, the actors and director have little to no time to breathe. Given the short time span, the action has to start immediately and resolve quickly.
For the sake of practicality, one-act plays often feature just one location or scene. No so with Tough City, Prone to Rain.
The gender flip version of a 1950s’ detective story (the detectives are women, the secretary a man), stuffs five locations into its 30 minutes: office, city streets, night club, hideout, and loading dock.
Instead of elaborate sets, one acts typically rely on creative lighting and strategic maneuvering of the props available, Logan said.
“We do a lot with a little,” he said.
