The nice thing about one-act plays is they're short and sweet.

They're also a good way to give drama students a taste for directing.

Hanford High School will present a series of one-acts directed by seniors called Connecting Points starting Oct. 14 in the school's Black Box Theatre, 450 Hanford St., Richland.

Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults and $6 for students and seniors.

"Though people come from different backgrounds and live within different societies, we all have in common the innate human need to build relationships with others," said Elspeth Jensen, who wrote and will direct one of the plays.

The other plays were written by professional playwrights.

Seven short plays will be performed: A Growing Problem, directed by Catherine Fewell; Shuffling, directed by Alex Hansen; Cheddar & Roast Beef, written and directed by Jensen; Don't Play Games with Me, directed by Garrett Lander; Twitch, directed by Caroline Riniker; From the River, directed by Alli Talmage; and Todd and Becky, directed by Katie Walsh.

Lander is making his directorial debut with a story about four people dealing with an addiction to board games.

"I love this show because even though to us the problems these characters face seem ridiculous, the characters are real with genuine problems they have to overcome," he said.

Riniker also jumped in eyes wide open at directing her first play, Twitch, written by Stephen Gregg. She directs a story about how neighbors must learn to look past preconceived notions and accept each other for who they are.

"I found directing a one-act an incredible experience as well as a challenge," she said. "Being involved in all the aspects of a production (teaches) how many components go into a finished play.

"I have a great team of actors and technical people who all put forth so much effort."

Hanford High drama students taking on various roles in all the one-acts include Tim Torie, Sam Fenton, Ylva Blomkvist, Gracie Dai, Zach Palowski, Sean Hendrickson, Jacki Campbell, Preston Snyder and Christina Becker.

"This year, the plays have the corresponding theme of human relationships," Jensen said. "Through heartfelt tearjerkers and heartwarm-ing comedies, Connecting Points delivers subtly poignant stories of human connections."

One-acts have been a tradition at Hanford High for several reasons, said drama coach Matt Leggett.

"They give seniors a chance to direct, which demands they go deeper into the workings of a play," he said. "To explore, consider and make decision on choosing a script, the characterizations, the setting, costumes, lights, props and music."

They also help build leadership skills, he added.

*Dori O'Neal: 582-1514; doneal@tricityherald.com