LOMBARD — Since her freshman year at Glenbard East High School, Hadley Hill has watched seniors in the drama department get selected to direct one-act plays. It's a privilege typically reserved for one senior each year.
"Coming in as a freshman, I had seen the seniors who were directing, and it's a big deal," Hadley said.

East deviated slightly from tradition this year, selecting two seniors to direct their own one-act plays: Hadley, along with Daniella Mazzio, who led her play during the summer.
Hadley's play, "Patient A," was show at the high school last week.
Independent from oversight and supervision of teachers and staff, the play told the story of Kimberly Bergalis, who died in 1991 at the age of 23 after fighting a public battle with AIDS. The Bergalis story gained nationwide attention because she contracted the disease from her dentist.

"'Patient A' is a really stylized show," Hadley said. "There's a lot of time when the actors are speaking directly to the audience. It's more of storytelling than acting."