An evil cackle shatters the still silence as the spotlight focuses on a dark figure onstage. Junior Kayvon Sari breaks through the tension, drawing laughter from the audience as he jokes, “If you’re going to get into the Evil League of Evil you HAVE to have a memorable laugh.”

Sari played Dr. Horrible, the lead character in “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog,” directed by senior Jay Besch. The play was one of four short plays in “One Acts” Tuesday, May 1. The show included“Count Dracula,” “The Unwanted,” “Sure Thing” and “Dr. Horrible.”

Each play had its own director and cast and, unlike other Whitman Drama productions, was entirely student-run.

The annual production is designed to give seniors the opportunity to direct and younger students the chance to get involved in Whitman Drama, sponsor Christopher Gerken said.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for underclassmen who might not have roles in some of Whitman’s bigger plays at the moment, but will in the future,” he said.

While all of the directors have performed in shows before, directing provided them with a new challenge, said senior Lena Aragon, director of “Sure Thing.”

“Directing is a lot harder than acting,” she said. “I have to come up with ideas for all of my actors and if they are lacking energy, I have to motivate them. Overall, it gave me a new perspective on drama.”

Another challenge directors faced was giving stage directions to the cast, “Count Dracula” director Joe Lilek said.

Audience members were engaged and entertained by the show.

“All the acts were hilarious and really well done,” sophomore Anna Zeisel said. “Best of all, I got to see actors who weren’t in any drama productions this year.”

Sari enjoyed his experience playing Dr. Horrible and is looking forward to participating next year, he said.

“The plays made me laugh and they made my jaw drop. I was impressed with all of them,” Sari said. “It was fantastic and I am definitely doing it next year.”