Drama. Comedy. Tragedy. History. Upper Arlington High Schools’ Box Set has brought these genres to life – often through multiple of the short plays in a set. In May, the Mirolo Theater, also known as the Black Box Theater, will buzz with energy from the series of student-run plays.
Overseen by Upper Arlington Community of Theater director Greg Varner, the Box Set has evolved over time while staying true to its mission: providing students with a creative space to explore storytelling, directing and acting. According to UAHS alumna ‘24 and NYU theater major Allie Gomez, the name “Box Set” was inspired by the Black Box Theater that houses the plays.
“We named the Box Set after the Black Box Theater, and Mr. Varner thought it was a cool name, so it stuck,” Gomez said.
In the old high school, this series of short plays was referred to as “little theater, little shows,” but with the transition to the new high school, the name was rebranded to reflect the updated space.
Although the name changed, the format of the performance remained the same. Each play is short, lasting no more than 10 minutes, leading to a total runtime of about an hour to an hour and a half, depending on how many plays are featured. This structure allows multiple students to showcase their work and gain experience in different theatrical roles. With this organization, students have the opportunity to develop writing and acting skills.
“There kind of is a place for everyone – it’s a creative place for anybody,” Gomez said.
The Box Set is completely student-run, different from most other performances at the high school. Junior Anya Pathak spoke on her experience as an actress in prior years of this unique setup.
“For actors, it’s a really cool opportunity to get direction from somebody different,” she said. “If we do the musical or something like that, it’s not always as much one-on-one. [Box Set] is a lot more intimate and close. And it’s a student that’s directing you, so you can get really strong feedback and help from both the student and the teacher director.”
Senior Logan Magliery, a student director in this year’s Box Set, spoke about how the casting process plays a role in the performances.
“Through this process with casting my show and seeing the way that my actors work, I’ve noticed that characters appear more authentic when you also take something from yourself and your own experiences,” Magliery said. “A big part of the reason why I chose the actors that I did for my show is that there were elements of the way that they are as themselves that could easily be transferred to their characters, and that makes their characters feel a lot more authentic.”
Magliery’s play “She’s Crazy,” is about gender stereotypes and the way girls are perceived in the context of high school dating. Once she thought of the play, Magliery had to make sure to adhere to the selection process.
“[Mr. Varner] told us that he wanted it to have a variety of content and theatrical promise,” Magliery said. “There were maybe 20 plays submitted, and they chose nine. But this is my first time writing a play or directing a play, so I was very happy to be chosen, and I’m very lucky that I got to do this.”
Part of the appeal of the Box Set, Magliery said, was the unique audition process.
“One thing about the Box Set is that it’s actually a no-cut process,” Magliery said. “So everyone that auditions does get into the show. Obviously, there are bigger parts and smaller parts, and people want the bigger parts… But especially as an underclassman, I was really nervous when I auditioned for the Box Set and auditioned for my peers. Now that I’m on this side of it, I would definitely tell my younger self to be way less stressed out about it.”
As the Box Set continues to grow, the students involved appreciate the time they spent developing it.
“I hope it continues growing because it felt like something we were all proud of, and it’s so collaborative,” Gomez said. “It felt like we were building it up ourselves.
To show support for the Box Set, viewers can make donations at the door to the Mirolo Theater. This year, performances will be open to the public on May 2 at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., with an additional show on May 3 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are free, but they are first-come first-serve, so they run out quickly.
As Pathak said, “We can’t wait to see people in the audience.”
