From the dealings of a couple facing absurd circumstances surrounding a baby doll, to the final job of two geriatric mobsters, the Theater Department’s showcase of five student-produced one-act plays was nothing short of an exciting ride for the audience that filled every available seat.

The night began with “The Worker” by Walter Wykes, directed by theater junior Rachel Innes.

Jacob Turnbow, who played Man, and Ilka Megee, Woman, delivered each line a timing that lent to the snappy and witty nature of the script. Complimenting the quick-precision nature of the delivery with a methodic chaos in movement, the ensemble excelled at creating their own small world of normalcy in the midst of absurdity.

Before breaking for a brief intermission, the audience was introduced to “The M Word” by Alan Ball, directed by theater junior Autumn Dahl.

Saying that this piece utilized the theme of irony would be an understatement, as Dean Hart, who played Man, and Kalli Root, Woman, approached the piece with a nonchalant demeanor that only highlighted the satirical nature of the content. When two business-minded professionals approach the topic of “merging” romantically, casual discussions over “notarized mid-life crisis proposals” and “suicide as the preferred contingency plan” ensues, taking the opportunity to take the phrase “say what you mean” to an entirely new level.

As the evening wrapped up, the final production, “Mafia On Prozac” by Edward Allan Baker, directed by theater junior Katie Cagle, took the audience the docks of Rhode Island, where two mobsters on their last legs ponder their life choices.

Perhaps the most introspective piece of the evening, Addrian Gaut Jr., who played Tee, and Joseph McGinn, Jay, lead the audience on a journey through the lives of the geriatric gangsters, reflecting on the path of their lives in the worlds of family, friends, and murders. After claiming that Al Capone speaks to him in his dreams, Jay encourages their to-be prey, Matt, played by Samuel Mitchell, to “live by choice,” and make amends with his family, or die. The trio maintained a stimulating pace with the otherwise dialogue-heavy piece, keeping the audience enraptured with the colorful past of the characters.

Brendan Wynne is a mass communication sophomore.