On February 7, Ward Melville held its annual Plays in a Day, producing seven plays in a single day, hosted by seniors Adity Sampath and Katelyn Winter. The event raised five hundred dollars, all of which went to toward Broadway Cares, a foundation which supports AIDS awareness and prevention.

The event promoted students’ love for theater and artistic expression. During the school day, groups of three to four writers produced a script that corresponded to the theme, “secrets”. They worked for nine periods, dedicating their time toward editing, writing, and brainstorming new ideas. By the end of the day, the scripts were perfected and ready to be given to the actors and actresses.

“Our play was about a man who recently found out he had cancer, and he’s getting married soon,” said sophomore Jennifer Lin, a young writer who participated in the event. “It was hard to work with the time limit, but I really liked the result. We managed to incorporate everyone’s ideas.”

Plays in a Day encouraged many students to experience new playwriting techniques and methods that were unavailable in most English classes. It was also an opportunity to foster new friendships among students who share common interests.

“Writing together is such a great bonding experience.” said playwright Selina Tang. “I liked spending time with my friends and making new ones.” Selina is a sophomore at Ward Melville who participated in the event for her first time this year.

The Ward Melville Players, a group of young actors and actresses, received scripts after school. They were assigned roles, and memorized their lines quickly. The plays were eight to twelve minutes long.

“Having to memorize all the lines in a couple of hours was tough; you have to get everything in your head in an extremely short amount of time.” said Players member, Elena Kirillova.

“I definitely think it was a success. My favorite part was watching everyone’s work come together. The final result was amazing and inspiring at the same time,” commented Adity Sampath, co-chairperson of Plays in a Day.