The WCA theater department will be presenting the 2009 fall play, “Arsenic and Old Lace”, on Friday, October 2nd and Saturday, October 3rd at 7:30 pm.
The play tells the tale of two murderous old women who poison elderly old men within their own home. They have three nephews; Teddy, who thinks he’s Teddy Roosevelt, Mortimer a theatre-hating drama critic, who must learn to cope with his twisted family and the Brooklyn police, and Jonathan, a criminal whom they haven’t seen for years. Confusion begins to stir as Jonathan and an accomplice show up with a dead body of their own.
“There is something so great about live theater. The audience adds an important element of what makes the play come alive,” said director Kelly Gilbert.
To ensure every detail is precise for opening night, many long hours are put into the play from various groups of people. Hard at work to make this year’s productions spectacular include the drama, set, and digital graphic arts club.
Everything about the school play revolves around the students. The WCA drama club is a passionate group of people that devote themselves to the theater. “Arsenic and Old Lace” provides a challenge for the actors and actresses, as it is a mystery imbedded with comedy.
“Not breaking character is especially hard in this play because it is a comedy and some pretty funny things happen,” said Ian Farmer, junior.
Seniors Mallory Alpert and Shelby Massot take the stage as the leads for the play. They add years to their age as they transform themselves into the mysterious old women for the production.
“Having the lead role, you’re at practice everyday after school. You get to meet everyone involved and see the entire story unfold,” said Alpert.
The stage comes alive with the creative backdrops that the set club works extremely hard to create.
“We used all old sets from previous play, but we had to re-paint them and nail them to the floor,” said Farmer.
The graphic arts club is joining the production to provide another interesting element to increase the support and add and edge for the fall play. The informative, creative, and artsy posters for “Arsenic and Old Lace” can be credited to the club.
The bizarre, plot-twisting mystery unfolds on stage this Friday at opening night. Tickets can be purchased for $5 in advance and $7 at the door.