Students direct peers in Dundee-Crown plays

Buy one, get two free.

No, we’re not referring to a sale at the grocery store, but the student directed plays at Dundee-Crown this weekend.

The production will include three skits: “All in Disguise” directed by Ryan Saunders, 18, of Algonquin; “Don’t Fear the Reaper” directed by Kim Gasiciel, 18, of Algonquin; and “A Night of Improv” directed by Zach Olafson, 17, of Algonquin. Each skit will last about 45 minutes.

The show is at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3, at the Carpentersville high school, 1500 Kings Road. The student directors hope to bring humor to the stage and leave audiences laughing.

“‘Don’t Fear the Reaper’ is intellectual but not preaching,” Gasiciel said. “But at the same time, it’s still funny.”

These three seniors have been performing in theater productions, with a growing interest in directing, This year was their shot.

“It was the natural thing to do because I have been performing in the school plays since freshman year,” Gasiciel said.

The directing program’s sponsor, English teacher Helen Hoffman, said it admits one to three seniors each year to direct one play or skit.

“Becoming a director gives a lot of collaboration,” Hoffman said. “The directors need to be creative, analytic and responsible.”

To acquire the responsibility and organize the production, the student directors are required to take a one-on-one class with Hoffman in theater directing for a term, which is nine weeks long. Participants learn how to direct a play with a minimum amount of space, how to chose roles for their skits and how to collaborate with other students.

“I’ve realized the hardest thing in directing is not having as much control as in being in the production itself,” Saunders said. “I can’t control who does what onstage, I can only advise them.”

While previous student productions have been 90-minute plays, this year is the first time the audience will watch multiple skits.

“I chose my script because of its situational comedy, where the audience knows what is going on, but the characters don’t,” Saunders said.

Saunders has been writing, directing and producing films since his freshman year. He plans on being a film director in the future and chose to sign up for this program because it fit in perfectly with his dream job. He says his films have made it into film festivals such as the Moondance International Film Festival in Colorado and the Illinois International Film Festival.

Tickets to the show are $5, $4 for students and seniors and are available at the door. For details, call (224) 484-5000.