In an insanely hilarious and endlessly creative production, the Suffield High School Drama Club put on the Broadway award winning comedy The Play That Goes Wrong on November 21, 22 and 23 of this year. This play follows an ill-fated theater production company putting on a murder mystery, when everything goes horribly awry. “It’s so fun, but it’s also a little stressful because if something goes more wrong than it’s supposed to, we might not know how to react.” expressed junior Ethan Boldt, who acted as the character Dennis.
The Teal Cast’s Jack Loranger struggles to connect Elianna Vega to the telephone as she holds up a perpetually falling wall by ways of connecting arms (and sometimes feet) with Ethan Boldt, MaryKate Mormino and Emma Gerkin.
In an unusual approach for Suffield High, this production was put on with two different casts, each performing in two of the shows, respectively called the Teal Cast and the Purple Cast. The Teal Cast performed in the first two performances and has worked with quite a degree of tenacity to bring together a show full of difficult tech cues and many, many lines. “I’ve never felt so lucky to be able to perform with the people who were with me,” affirmed junior Kaylee Barnes, who acted as the character Sandra for the Teal Cast. “Our chemistry made it very easy to act with each other and make such a beautiful and hilarious performance. I couldn’t ask for anything more from being with them.”
With 3 weeks left until production, the Purple Cast welcomed members into new roles, Ashley Legg and Victoria Jacobs! Ashley stepped into the role of Dennis, and Victoria into the role of Trevor. With only three weeks to learn their lines, they worked hard to succeed and helped to make the Purple Cast’s show an awesome production. “I knew that taking on the role of Dennis would require a lot of blocking. One thing I really struggled with is memorizing my lines since I went from a role (Trevor) who says almost nothing to someone who speaks during half the show,” stressed senior Ashley Legg. “My cast was really great to work with. In the end, we were able to get it together and have a great show.” The determination and resilience of the cast was evident on production night as they made the audience laugh and cheer.
As one of the actors in the production, I had the unique opportunity to have an inside look at how the show came to be what it was. I will be forever impressed with the unique set design – from having a working rotating bookcase, to framed photos dropping to the floor on command, and even to specialized falling walls. “Tech is always a vital component to prepping the show,” states student construction manager Jack Ryan. “Set design and construction starts in the beginning, drafts, plans and trial and error is common. Specifically for this year we had many little bits and elements that had to be carefully built to be properly pulled off. For example, when the walls fell, we had many plans on how they fell but eventually nailed down exactly what optimally worked for us. Our tech team is really proud of this set.”
With a two-month time frame, these two casts put together productions that will be forever remembered by those who acted in it and those who saw it. “One of my best experiences of drama I think I have ever had. (Everyone) truly became a family for me that I will never forget,” junior Lilian Macsata, who acted as the character Sandra for the Purple Cast, declares. “We always supported and helped each other even when it was a stressful time for everyone. I don’t think I can ever find friends like that again.”