Dorie Sullivan focused her One Person Show on Effy Stonem from the television series Skins.

Many students come into One Person Shows knowing who they want to focus on or having some sort of appiphany about a character they would like to play.  Sullivan worked backwards in a way, first finding her passion or theme, and then focusing on a character who could portray that.

“I had a really hard time thinking of a character to do for my one person show. What helped me decide was to think of what I’m passionate about.  My passion is relationships; how to build them, how much they have an effect on someone’s life, how to keep them.  So I decided on Effy Stonem because her story matched my passion and she’s a really cool girl,” said Sullivan.

Thirty minutes is not a lot of time, and that becomes evident in the creation process.  Some characters are so complex that hours could be spent telling their story, but what makes One Person Shows so incredible is the dense and moving story that is told in such a short amount of time.

“I wanted to fit in too many things and you have to explain everything in your show, so it was just too long. I had to make some tough decisions with what to cut,” said Sullivan.

Frequently, these shows teach students more about themselves and the world around them than the production process itself.  The creation of the One Person Show is so labor intensive and unique that it is a learning experience for life as well as theater.

“I have learned that you get more accomplished if you have a positive attitude and if you are nice to people. Also do not procrastinate. I know everyone says that, but it’s really true. It’s a hard habit to break, but you have got to do it,” said Sullivan.