YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN them parading around school in capes, tights, and crazy hairdos this week. They are the writers, directors, and cast members of this year's Student Productions, Uni's annual showcase of student plays.

Stud Prod '08 will feature six comedic sketches to be performed 7:30 tonight and 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the North Attic.

Tickets are $4 for students, seniors, and faculty, and $5 for everyone else. Get there early for good seats! Where else will you hear such immortal lines as "It's 77 degrees outside, I wearing … shorts!"?

Here's a quick look at this year's plays:

"All for a Kiss"
by senior Natsuki Nakamura
A sweet play surrounding the drama found around stage kisses during auditions and rehearsals for a school production.

"* 69"
by junior Hadley Hauser
A woman gets a mysterious message on her answering machine from a stranger, and it slowly begins to take over her life as she obsesses over who the caller might be. (Hauser's play, by the way, is the source of the quotation in this article's headline.)

"Criminal Crime"
by senior Sierra Marcum
In this parody of crime shows reminiscent of old slapstick, a detective and his assistant try to solve a series of murders in rather unorthodox ways.

"After School Special"
by senior Hannah Leskosky
A high school student hears some of his peers discussing a public service announcement they are filming on drug use and mistakenly believes they are actually using drugs.

"Superhero Complex"
by senior Lauren Piester
A kid thinks that he is a superhero, and his family is tired of it so they attempt to convince him that he is not.

"Romeo and Juliet Revisited"
by senior Kareem Sayegh
A lively musical version of the classic Shakespeare play, with a little twist.

Piester is super pumped about directing her own play for the second year in a row.

"My play went so well last year, and this year I know how it goes so hopefully it will be even more amazing this time around," she says. "I have quite high hopes."

Nakamura is a bit more skeptical.

"I actually think we're all kind of panicking," she said. "I'm worried about how everything will be pulled together. Regardless, the performance will be really funny. Everyone should come!"

We know this gets said about every theatrical performance at Uni, but somehow our thespians just get the job done.

Come see who dials the mysterious phone calls, who the criminal is, what happens after school, which superhero saved the day, who kisses whom, and how "Romeo and Juliet" can possibly be remade again. (Whew, that was a mouthful.)

Senior Lor Sligar, who will be in Leskosky's and Hauser's plays, said of the StudProd experience: "StudProd is a lot more relaxed and fun than the bigger plays. It's fun to just goof around and put on a really funny show."

They don't goof around too much, though — not when the clock is running down. A lot gets done in the pressure cooker of tech week.

"The progress I've seen over these past two days has been incredible,"said sophomore Kahlilah Cooke, a crew member. "The first day was rather hectic, but the actors are looking much better."

With two more plays than last year's productions, you could almost say StudProd '08 be 1.5 times better! At the very least, it will be different.

"We added a lot of little … surprises," said Marcum, one of the writer-directors. "They're sort of like interludes, making it similar to Big Show, but I can't really talk about them."

Neither can we. There's only one way to find out, and you know what it is. See you at StudProd!

STUDPROD 2008: CAST & SUPPORTING STAFF

"All for a Kiss" Written & directed by Natsuki Nakamura

• Tristan: Jeremy Kemball
• Logan: Buck Walsh
• Sam: Sarah Lake-Rayburn
• Alana: Sian Best
• Cody: Kareem Sayegh
• Drama Teacher: Hannah Leskosky

"* 69" Written & directed by Hadley Hauser

• Cindy: Lor Sligar
• Felix: Deren Kudeki
• Answering Machine: Diana Liu
• Beep: Max Sigalov

"Criminal Crime" Written & directed by Sierra Marcum

• Xerxes: Jeremy Kemball
• Kandy: Anna Gooler
• Carpenter: Dillon Price
• Cop: Diana Liu
• Jill: Natsuki Nakamura

Ten-minute intermission

"After School Special" Written & directed by Hannah Leskosky

• Kate: Sindha Agha
• Kelly: Lor Sligar
• Matt: Dillon Price
• Pete: Ben Zehr
• Gilbert Ethan Schiller
• Mr. Oliver: Zack Goldberg
• D.A.R.E. Officer: Lauren Piester

"Superhero Complex" Written & directed by Lauren Piester

• Max: Ethan Schiller
• Lily: Anna Gooler
• Audrey: Brittany Scheid
• Eric: Deren Kudeki
• Mom: Sian Best
• Dad: Ben Zehr

"Romeo and Juliet Revisited" Written & directed by Kareem Sayegh

• Romeo: Max Sigalov
• Mercutio: Zack Goldberg
• Nurse: Tianna Pittenger
• Juliet: Maria Gao

People Behind the Scenes

• Crew: Kahlilah Cooke, Brianna Hajek, Raina Martens
• Musicians: Clement Dossin, Carl Pearson
• Sound: Raina Martens
• Lights: Francois Dossin
• Faculty Sponsor: Barbara Ridenour