CCHS Fine Arts Academy performing ‘An Evening of One Acts’

Camden County High School’s Fine Arts Academy is performing “An Evening of One Acts” today and Friday.

Both performances are 6:30 p.m. in the high school auditorium.

Theater students will perform one act of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” followed by one act from “Mean Girls Jr.”

The show’s director is Jason Hill. Arianna Perez-Lugones is the show’s technical director, while Susannah Willingham serves as choreographer. All three are teachers at the high school.

The two one-act performances are student-driven with high schoolers performing and also serving in technical roles, such as set-building, carpentry and painting. Hill said both one-act performances are competition pieces, where students will compete against other high schools in the state.

“Mean Girls Jr.” is the competition show for the Georgia High School Association Region 1-7A competition, scheduled for Oct. 24 at Lowdnes High School in Valdosta. The cast and crew of 40 students has worked on the performance after school.

“Competitive theater has a criteria that is very important to be successful,” Hill said. “I picked ‘Mean Girls’ because I have the right cast with the right show at the right time in order to be competitive. We really want to be competitive each year. Usually, a title is a big help. I have a large population of girls, and they love the musical and they gravitated toward the title.”

“Animal Farm” is an in-school class project, which means 28 students work on that performance during regular school hours. Hill said students will compete in the Georgia Theater Conference with an aim to reaching the Southeastern Theater Conference in March in Greensboro, N.C.

“I picked ‘Animal Farm’ because of its literary strength,” Hill said. “It’s one that I’ve always loved to read and wanted to do for years. We’re shooting for some spectacle.”

The difference between “Mean Girls. Jr.” and “Animal Farm” is obvious. Hill said it’s important for students to experience a variety of theater genres.

“It gives them an opportunity to explore not only musical comedy, but also a heavier piece like ‘Animal Farm’ that has a strong literary value,” Hill said. “It’s across the curriculum with world history and political science. All of those things are important to me in the service of kids.”

Senior Aili Johnson portrays Regina George in “Mean Girls Jr.” George is the show’s “mean girl,” who Johnson says everyone fears.

“They call her the apex predator,” Johnson said.

In her 33rd production already, Johnson said she still feels nervous before shows.

“I really enjoy being on the stage and just almost coming out of real life and being part of an imaginary role,” she said. “Our motto here is to be a part of something bigger than yourself. This is bigger than me, being a part of a production with so many people.”

Senior Ann Timberlake is a master carpenter for “Mean Girls Jr.” She’s been involved in the technical aspect of theater since her freshman year.

While most performance attendees think mostly about the acting or sing on stage, the set design and development is a crucial element of all performances.

“It’s definitely important,” Timberlake said. “They wouldn’t be able to do much at all without us. … I think it’s super exciting. It’s something different every day. … We have a new project every day. We get to approach something and brainstorm ideas every day, and do something physical where I can see the real results of our progress.”

Timberlake said the cast and crew’s relationship has been the most fruitful part of her experience in theater.

“When I started theater, literally on the first day of my freshman year, it was an actual community, not just people you stumble across,” she said. “They had a common bond and a common goal. … We’re all working together for one common thing.”

Tickets for the show are $10 and can be purchased online at camdenfinearts.ludus.com.