Challenger

The Blue House players performed their first play of the 2004-2005 school year the 10th, 11th, and 12th of October. The play was a murder mystery, meaning the crowd was interactive with the play itself.

The play starts off with Harnell Chesterton (Jon Russelburg) narrating a word of warning, “Before we begin, just a word of warning. You see, tonight you will be tricked... Watch EVERYTHING! Listen to EVERYTHING! Don’t assume. Don’t take anything for granted. You don’t want to miss... a thing.” Then he gives us a demonstration with the assistance of Lois Jacobsen (Lindsey Hamilton), Steve Randle (Chase Cavin), and Ajax Conroy (Ben McFadden). Where he shows us what he means by “not all is as it seems”.

Then a very frustrated Blanche Latoure (Ashley Boswell) hurries out to fuss at our young narrator for not doing as he is suppose to. And as Miss Latoure exits stage left she yet again has to get Chesterton back on track and saying his right lines. The first few minutes of the play you can see during the example that Lois Jacobsen is a female. And that the weapon she supposedly kills a man with is a comb (or mario action figure, which ever) is infact not a devise capable of killing someone, it is still surprisingly funny and entertaining.

Black outs: an extinguishing of stage lights to end a scene. Well in this play black outs played a little more of a role then just a transition from one scene to the next. Black outs were the cause of many funny insidents with Officer Bainbridge (Batman, I mean Kevin Reel) and his interaction with the rest of the cast.

The play itself is about the murder of Harnell Chesterton, the narrator of the play, who is murdered and placed on stage where Arnold Turnbull is suppose to be. The play from that point on to the end is trying to find out whom is the killer of Mr. Chesterton. Is it one of the other cast members, director, stage manger, or someone in the audience.
CAREFULLY, the last words of Harnell says moments before he dies. Or so Miss Blanche Latoure thought she heard Harnell say. But we’ll get that later to qoute Officer Bainridge, which throughout his investigation is said many many times.

Now getting back to the Black outs and how they affected the course of the play, its flow if you will. The black outs allowed for many humorous antics involving Officer Bainridge doing his best to find different members of the cast as they keep coming and going in the dark.

Through questioning of what each person’s relationship with the murdered, we find out about each character, which is a rather clever way to introduce and explain each person’s past. We find out that Arnold Turnbull (Nick Payne) and Doris Turnbull (Hannah Lee) are a divorced couple, and that both Doris Turnbull and Leigh Dorsett (Jodi Tanner) had dated Harnnell. Then we discover that the lights manager, sound manger, stage hand Trudy Marsh (Jessica Mayhew) was at one time Harnnell’s step daughter, and that she thought up 16 ways to kill him, but never one with a gun, to easy to trace.

But through out it all despite little things that may bother someone, it was in all a very well put together and acted play. Thanks in part to the actors, and the rest of the crew. Backstage: Andrea Estep, Kim Blandford, Kristen Carden, Jamie Winters, Samantha Warren, Eric Ebling. Costumes: Lindsey Hamilton, Jodi Tanner, Ben McFadden, Jacob Kasinger, Jamie Sharp, Sarah Flaim, John David Hale. Props: Jessica Mayhew, Aleah Pointer, Samantha Newton, Brittany Medkiff, Kelly Render. Publicity: Kerry Paynter, Courtney Smily, Hannah Lee, Laura Hatfield. Set: Michael Walters, Heather Dersheirmer, Nick Payne, Eric Ebling, Matt Fitzgerald, Logan Thompson, Chase Cavin, Kevin Reel, Jon Russleburg. And last but not least Light/Sound: Jennie Cockerell, Morgan Elder, Cody Anderson.

If you are to ever go see a school play, go and see it twice. Once at whatever date you’d like to know how the play is suppose to go, but then make sure you go to see the last performance. It is always the best, and most entertaining. Future plays from the Blue House Players are “Fruitcakes” starting on December 5th, 6th and 7th. “Get Bill Shakespeare off the Stage” starting on March 20th, 21st and 22nd.