The Patient Watcher, a one-act performance put on by some members of the intermediate drama class this year, won the gold award at the Lenaea High School Theater Festival in Folsom. The cast auditioned for their roles prior to winter break in December and received cast lists over break, with rehearsals starting when school resumed in January. In the following month, the cast pulled together the one-act and performed for an audience for the first time on Thursday, Feb. 2. At the Lenaea Festival, the performance was one of a select few to win gold out of around 40 one-acts. The Patient Watcher was performed again Thursday and Friday, Feb. 9 and 10 in the Redwood Black Box Theater. The play centered around a writer who was cursed to age rapidly every time he took a step.

In the lead role of The Patient Watcher was sophomore Syd Walling, who has been performing in the theater since she was eight years old but has dedicated more of her time to the activity since freshman year. She is proud of the cast’s accomplishments.

The Patient Watcher set itself apart from other plays and one-acts with the cast lighting themselves with flashlights and the ensemble remaining on stage for the entirety of the performance.

“It’s not just cool that we’re lighting ourselves; I think that the silhouettes and the shadows, and the way that we put the light on our face, tells a story and it very much conveys emotion or tone, depending on where the light is on our face, whether or not it’s scary or happy or funny,” Walling said.

Upon receiving the script, Walling notes that she didn’t initially think the one-act would be very interesting or unique, but that soon changed.

“I was so completely shocked by the [outcome]. I had no idea that we were going to do anything like this. I don’t want to say don’t judge a book by its cover, because that’s so cliche, but genuinely don’t give up on something because you can’t picture it yet,” Walling said. “Because when you’re working in the performing arts, when you’re working with other artists, sometimes you have to let yourself see what they see instead of just giving up on what you’re seeing.” 

Sophomore Madi Rand, cast as The Witch, has also participated in the theater program since freshman year and had a positive experience at the Lenaea Festival.

“I got so much closer to all the friends that I had [in the cast] and we [had] those bonding moments that you’re [going to] think about forever,” Rand said.

When they auditioned for The Patient Watcher, both Rand and Walling didn’t expect to get a big role. At the theater festival, they both were able to embrace their characters.

“After performing, we got to talk to the person that gave us our score. It was really cool to see somebody who hadn’t seen the show before and didn’t [know] the process of the [production]. It was a lot of fun to see what they got out of the show and what their personal story that they found in it was,” Rand said.

Walling notes she learned a lot in her role and at the theater festival’s workshops, which she found to be a very immersive experience.

“I learned about the Meisner Technique, which is creating imaginary objectives and then finding truth within them. So I found myself learning how to really connect myself to the story,” Walling said. “I also learned how to multitask on stage; to light myself, to react to things around me and to not just read a story, but to tell a story. I think that I learned how to really put everything I had into a role and into a show, and how to let go of the outside world and insecurities and things like that, that so many people have on stage and just be [present]. It taught me how to focus as an actor and it taught me how to really set clear objectives for myself.”