Cambridge Written, Cambridge Directed Play Premieres Thursday

Honors literature teacher Christopher Cleary said he wrote the one-act play, “The Harsher” as a way to bring attention to the drama department and increase attendance at their productions. The school’s drama department will be performing the play Thursday and Friday

 Cleary said he also wanted to prove to himself that he could write a play in the horror genre that is popular among youth.

“I like those movies, and I watch them. I think they follow this formula and I feel like I always thought I could write one,” said Cleary.

Cleary wrote the play the summer of 2015, rewrote it the summer of 2016, and had been writing, working and refining it ever since.

“The Harsher” is not Cleary’s first experience with writing and drama. He was offered a scholarship to the Wilson Arts Council, an organization focusing on the fine arts; received an undergraduate degree in acting and published the teen novel “Writing on the Wall” in 2007.

“The Harsher” is just one among five one-act plays to be performed Thursday and Friday. Every year, seniors from the drama department direct one-act plays to be showcased in front of the school.

Julianna Bush volunteered to be the director for Cleary’s piece. While she admitted that there is some pressure associated with being a director, she said she feels prepared, because of her experience on the cast of previous productions.

“It’s an interesting script and it’s kind of perplexing to do, but it’s my job to direct. There’s a lot of interesting concepts on characterization in the script, so a lot of it is inferred,” Bush said of “The Harsher.”

 The process of bringing “The Harsher” to life consisted of reading through the play to familiarize the cast with the script, figuring out where actors would be on the stage and providing directorial comments.

Bush said finding the line between being her cast members’ peer and supervisor proved to be difficult. Making jokes with the cast and allowing each actor to incorporate his or her vision for the character helped to keep a friendly, professional relationship.

“You want to be constructive and polite at the same time. It’s their job to take the information you’ve given them and the heart that you’ve put in for them to make their characters,” said Bush.

The Harsher” will be performed with “May I Have Your Attention Please?” directed by Emma Toor, and “No More, Mister Nice Guy,” directed by Priscilla Joseph, on Thursday.

“Dinner with the MacGuffins,” directed by Tori Coleman, and “Happy Birthday Dear Grandpa,” directed by Meghan Taylor, will also be performed with Cleary’s play on Friday.

Tickets will be $5 at the door of the auditorium. No tickets are allowed to be purchased in advance.