The BLOOM theatre festival has been a long-standing tradition for many years at Assumption and it occurs every two years. Advanced theatre students write, direct, design, and perform the six ten-minute plays in the festival. Each student writes a play and they are all reviewed in a panel of administration and teachers who pick six that display the best morale, creativity and relevance to the mission week theme. This year’s title of the BLOOM festival is “Spread Your Wings.”
The first play in the festival is called Therapist’s Office. Lizzy Smith is the main character and she’s the kindest and most comfortable friend one could have. However, her good listening skills and friendliness causes all her friends to put their problems on her. She gets overwhelmed in this process and discovers she needs to put herself first. Lizzy acts as a “therapist.” This play is about prioritizing yourself and taking a step back.
The second nostalgic and whimsical play in the festival is called Metamorphosis. The director Anna Sullivan states that Metamorphosis is a play about, “focusing on choosing identity without the worry of societal judgment.” A young teenage boy named Sage conforms to society’s standards of normal but is scared of being judged for his passion of nature and bugs. Then Sage meets a talking spider that reminds him of his passion, and he helps Sage find his true self again.
The third show called Extraterrestrials showcases how funny a bloom play can be. Despite its comedic nature, it has an important theme. It’s about individuals’ differences and the willingness to learn to understand those. It takes place in New York City with three roommates. They discover an alien in the bathroom and learn take care of the alien. The roommates serve as a support system for the alien in this play.
The fourth show in the festival is called Whisk. This show is highly creative and innovative because its characters are kitchen items including a whisk, mixer and table. A teenage girl named Ellie is baking sweets, but Whisk starts to compare herself to the Mixer because it’s new and “better.” Then wise character Table teaches Whisk about her importance and helps Whisk see her value and purpose. Whisk is about overcoming comparison and finding your purpose.
The fifth realistic show in the festival is called Slow Down. Callie and Olivia are two close sisters that love to spend time together. One day when they are hanging out, Olivia can’t get off her phone because she’s in a fight with her boyfriend. Olivia denies that there’s a problem to her sister. Olivia and her boyfriend break up and she takes out her anger silently speeding when she’s driving with Callie in the car and Callie finally gets her to open up. The play resolves with the sisters reconnecting. Slow Down’s theme is taking care of your loved ones and doing what is best for yourself.
The sixth show is called Click to Add Title. The story is about an old woman named Jane Marshall who finds out that she has died. An angel appears and presents a PowerPoint that summarizes her life to her. Jane realizes the things she should have done differently in her life because of the PowerPoint’s shocking statistics. For example, Jane spent 23 years trying to be someone other than who she was. This play is about living your life to the fullest.
