So far this year the seniors in Rocklin’s infamous Theatre IV class have wandered the campus sporting masks, delivered secretive monologues written a one-act play. The original one-act play that is apart of the curriculum is also something of a tradition at Rocklin High School.
Every year Rocklin’s Theatre IV class enters a competition known as the Lenaea Festival. And each year they enter with a student written one-act play. High schools from all over California submit to compete at the Lenaea Festival. The categories range from monologues and two person scenes to one-act plays and student originals. They are further separated into drama, comedy and musical. Competitors are judged on understanding, voice and diction, pace and rhythm, movement and presence and total effect. Rocklin High School has come back with at least 4 awards the last two years, wining gold and silver for the One-Act Play Original Script award
This year the students have written another original show to be considered for this award. The play is titled “Suite 46” and it features an almost completely silent cast. The play takes place in an office, Suite 46, in which a new intern enters into an awkwardly quite space filled with odd characters and stereotypes. There are also several people performing dialogues and monologues on their own. One such individual is Michelle Ahronovitz,
“It would be really nice to win, but I’m not really going for an award, It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to perform my monologue and get professional feedback on it. I’m totally excited, I’m nervous though a little bit”
This festival is a chance for Rocklin High School to prove itself as outstanding in yet another element. But it is also a chance for this years seniors to prove themselves,
“I think I’ve always thought of myself as not at their [previous seniors] level and now that I am a senior I feel like I need to be,” said Michelle Ahronovitz.
The festival takes place this year at Sacramento State January 31st and February 1st. January 31st is the date that the monologues and dialogues will be performing whereas the one-act plays will be preformed February 1st. The festival is open to the public and charges a five dollar viewing fee.