Each year, the DePaul Prep theater society performs a different spring play. This year’s spring play, entitled The Meta Plays, is a collection of short stories written by playwright Andrew Biss. Each short story is written to break the fourth wall and “give the audience a little bit of a nudge,” says director Mr. Craig Bryant. Each short story features a different set of characters, struggling with a new issue and environment.

The Meta Plays is written to be a “meta” commentary on the theater industry and struggles that actors, writers, and directors face.

The play features scenes like a writer struggling to make her character feel fleshed out and a pair of actors receiving intense criticism from a director. Through the course of 8 short stories, each featuring different actors and characters, the audience is introduced to different sides of the performance industry.

The content and style of The Meta Plays marks a stark contrast from the DePaul Prep theater society’s last performance. Junior Samantha Rodriguez says that “it was nice to be lighthearted and goofy for once!”

According to Bryant, the short form play style is increasing in popularity in recent years, which contributed to his decision in selecting The Meta Plays: “We are a short attention span kind of society,” he says.

A short form play differs from a more traditional play format because it requires less exposition. Each story in The Meta Plays is around 10 minutes long, meaning that the characters must “hit the ground running” in terms of plot, says Bryant.

Working within DePaul Prep’s blackbox theater presents some challenges, but overall the theater department is extremely grateful for a dedicated space to perform. In the past, the theater department worked in a variety of spaces, sometimes lacking a consistent location to perform and rehearse. “We are grateful every day that we get to rehearse, and have our own space,” says Bryant.

Set and costume design is a collaborative process among a large number of people, says Bryant. All of the music for the play was created by students in the DePaul Prep music program, ranging from band students to music production students.

Mr. Jonathan Braun, who helped students produce the music, says that student-written music is “a really awesome thing to watch— it’s something I’d like to see continue to the future.” The student-produced music can be heard in the transition periods between each short story.

The Meta Plays marks both the first and last performances of many students. Junior Will Grady says that “regardless of whether or not people enjoyed it (which I think they did), it was a lot of fun to perform,” and Senior Michael Scarpelli says that being in the play “helps create a sense of inclusivity” in the DePaul Prep community.