GET A ‘CLUE’
Drama Club Brings Board Game to Life
TEWKSBURY - Was it Professor Plum with a pipe wrench, Miss Scarlet with a rope, or Colonel Mustard with a gun in the study? Or was it one of other numerous combinations of numerous characters and weapons? There are ten “invited guests,” a staff including a butler, maid, and a gardener and a variety of other characters, and one dead body in the comical whodunit being brought to life on the stage at Tewksbury Memorial High School this week.
This stage production is loosely based on the movie “Clue” which was based upon the game of the same name.” Drama Coach Lauren Sprague, who is also directing the play, wrote the screenplay for the students. She added five extra characters to the cast to allow for more students to participate.
Sophomore Jason Levesque said that what makes this production unique is “the fact that it was a board game that I played all the time as a kid.” This show not only plays on that kind of nostalgia, but also adds some new twists and turns of its own.
More than 40 students auditioned for the cast of 31 roles. Another 20 students serve as the crew, building sets and doing all of the behind-the-scenes work that makes a production happen. Sprague said, “It’s a really great group of kids, and it’s a really huge group this year.” She also emphasized how hard they have been working. Many students have been rehearsing everyday since the beginning of September and there is also a group of about 15 students that come every day to work on sets.
On Monday afternoon they were all working through a dress rehearsal that also served to put the finishing touches on lighting and sound effects and the sets. The vibrant costumes spoke volumes about the characters and the cast was full of life with quick comedic timing and hilarious pratfalls and jokes. They seemed to be having a great time while presenting a fun show that audiences will enjoy.
Senior April Farmer has been working on drama productions since her freshman year. She is enjoying this show because she really likes the characterization and the fact that while portraying Miss Peacock, she “gets to be a bird personified.” She explained that this production differed from others she has participated in because the settings don’t change as much as in some production so it relies upon character interaction.
Other production members are new to Drama or at least new to the roles they are taking on this year. Freshman Alex Farmer is learning to do lighting after years of being the ‘younger sibling’ who baked for the fundraiser that helps fund the productions. She said, “I am enjoying doing the lights, then added, “I’m a fast learner.
Junior Marina Villeneuve is also learning on the job in her role as this season’s Assistant Director. Sprague said that Villeneuve has been very helpful because she is very organized. “She’s the best,” said Sprague.
It is a real team effort and they have all worked very hard to make this show happen. Thanks go out to the parents who helped build and design the set, to technical director Dave Moffat, and to everyone who put in time and effort for this production.
Join all your favorite Clue characters as they utilize comedy and a battle of wits to solve a mysterious murder. Watch mayhem ensue as accusations and theories fly and see if you can solve the mystery from your seats while the cast works it out on stage.
Tickets are still available. Performances are scheduled for Thursday and Friday nights at 7:00 and Saturday at 2:00 and 7:00pm in the High School Auditorium. Tickets are $8.00 each and are available by calling the High School office.
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