Spring play promises laughter, mystery, and a twist you won’t see coming

MT. PLEASANT — The stage is set, the lights are cued, and the Mt. Pleasant High School Theatre Department is ready to raise the curtain on its spring production, This Murder Was Staged. The comedy murder mystery will run March 28—30 at the Heatilator Performing Arts Center, and promises a night of laughs, suspense and maybe a few gasps.

Directed by Ally Lowe, the play opens with a dramatic moment: just as the fictional cast is about to unmask the killer in a murder mystery play, the actual director of the play (within the play) drops dead onstage.

Suddenly, the fictional mystery becomes a real whodunit, and the theater — on and off stage — transforms into a crime scene. Everyone from the cast and crew to the audience becomes a suspect.

Lowe, who returned for her second year directing the department, said she selected the show for both its energy and its potential to showcase a large cast.

“We had lots of new faces join our fall production and they all wowed me with their hard work and talent,” Lowe said. “While plays typically have casts of 8—12, I knew that I needed to find a bigger show for the spring that would allow the community to see all these kids shine again. It was also important to me to choose an upbeat, fun show to build on the momentum we have going with this new group of kids.”

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Though the play delivers plenty of laughs and lighthearted moments, Lowe noted that its technical elements gave students in all areas of the production team a chance to stretch their creativity.

“Something cool about this show is we have a lot of flashback/flash-forward moments,” she said. “This allowed us to have a lot of fun with our lighting crew as we worked to distinguish past from present on stage.”

Departing from a more typical play where the audience is behind the figurative “fourth-wall” This Murder Was Staged gives the actors a chance to acknowledge the audience’s existence. Senior Elias Heaton, a returning actor with the department, said the audience’s role in the show adds an unexpected layer of energy.

“Performing a play that incorporates the audience adds a fun immersive experience for both the cast and the audience,” Heaton said. “Even though the audience may know it's part of the plot, interacting with them sprinkles a bit of comedy and fun into the performance.”

As a veteran of the program, Heaton emphasized how hard the cast and crew have worked this season and encouraged the community to support the performance.

“All of us have worked very hard this play season to put together the best performance we can give,” he said. “The show incorporates a lot of comedy, dramatics, and annoying men with horrible goatees. Whether or not you enjoy theatre, showing up helps to fund the continued growth of the drama department and allows us to continue contributing to Mt. Pleasant's entertainment scene.”

For Lowe, seeing that growth even just within each student participant in the show has been the highlight of the season.

“The most rewarding part of directing this show has been to see the kids' confidence grow on stage,” she said. “I also really enjoy watching new friendships bloom behind the scenes.”

And for those who think they can solve the mystery before the curtain falls — Lowe warns that the final twist is a good one.

“During our first read-through I don't think anyone saw the twist coming,” she said. “[We’re] excited to see the audience's reactions!”

This Murder Was Staged will be performed at 7 p.m. on March 28 and 29, and at 2 p.m. on March 30 at the Heatilator Performing Arts Center, 307 East Monroe Street. Tickets are $10 and available at the door.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com