Murder mystery at the high school

Times Reporter

 

A good old-fashioned murder mystery can please just about any crowd, and that’s what drama students at Strathmore High School are hoping to do. This is the first major production put on by the group and it was up to the students to work as hard as they have been to prepare. 

“The kids have pretty much done all the set building, all the set painting 

They had some help with one or two tricky things, but for the most part the kids have done everything themselves,” said Paula Richardson, drama teacher. 

Every year she tries to read a bunch of new scripts to see what can be done, and while there are great old standbys, Richardson felt it was time to find something new. Richardson gave the students three choices and they chose to put on a production of Norman Robbins’ ‘Slaughterhouse’. One of the options was another play and the third option was to not do a big show but do small, one act plays. While a whodunit murder mystery would have been perfect just in time for Halloween, it just wasn’t feasible. 

“Its really hard to get a show, a multi act show up and running in anything less than 10 weeks,” said Richardson. 

‘Slaughterhouse’ is about an eccentric, older, horror movie director who is having a reading of a new horror play at his house. He invites actors to join him in reading the script and then people start dying, including the host. The house is supposed to be an old mausoleum type of house, and there are descriptions of a moat filled with piranhas, Dobermans roaming the grounds, and fog so thick it’s nearly impossible to see through. The play is set in more modern times and Richardson said it is a great family play but more for children 10 and up, just because it is a thinker and there is no audience participation. 

 “The thing that I really liked about this play is all of the roles are fairly big roles. Its not like you get five lines and then you’re out, kind of thing. There is one role that is a little smaller but for the most part they are all really nice big roles,” said Richardson. 

Which gives all of the students a chance to get the feel of being an integral part of a big play. A couple of the students are both acting and doing technical work, so one night they will be on stage and the next performance they will take care of a technical aspect of the play. Opening night is on Nov. 18 and the play runs at 7 p.m. the 19, 23 and 24. 

Its rush seating and tickets are $10 each. People may purchase tickets early by calling the high school at 403-934-3135.