Opening night for the FVHS production of “The Play That Goes Wrong” will be Nov 20. The show will run for three days ending Saturday, Nov 22.
The play is set in Haversham Manor where a murder takes place and needs to be solved. The play takes many turns as things during the play start to go wrong and characters start to be accused.
The main cast includes: Seniors, Luke Hessing, Perle Fwamini, Anthony Sicola, Juniors, Amelia Fruend, Christian Fuenzalida, Evan Schelah, Scarlett Duncan, Freshman Riley Bashaw
The actors have been working hard memorizing their lines and cues and portraying their characters for such a unique show.
The production process takes months of planning and has many ups and downs throughout that time.
The theatre teacher and play director, Paige MacGovern said, “It is like wearing 10 hats at once. There are a lot of components that go into directing a show. You have to come up with your concept and pick the right people. You have to be able to organize things while also leaving room for students to take creative liberties. It’s a lot but I love it. One of the hardest parts is balancing the acting side and the tech side. I feel like a lot of the time I want to focus technically on what it looks like and how things are going, and I feel like I’m neglecting the acting side so you have to find a balance between the two.”
MacGovern reflected on the challenges of production and gave many insights into the life of a director during showtime. Directing definitely has many hurdles, but with those come many other positive experiences.
“Opening night is one of my favorite parts, seeing all the different pieces come together, but also on the other side of that is seeing all these people come together and create bonds that they may not have normally and watching them work toward a common goal is pretty cool,” said MacGovern
MacGovern recounted the more positive aspects of showtime and discusses how theatre really brings many groups of people together. Many would agree about the diversity of theatre which connects all sorts of interesting people.
Many members of the crew are also excited for the show and had lots of fun helping to put it together.
Sophomore and props member Katie Atkin said, “My favorite prop was a big heraldic shield that I’m really proud of. I really like that everything goes wrong in the show and watching things like the flats falling. I have lots of friends in props, and we are all doing really good stuff. So I’m very excited to see it all come together. I think it’s a really fun play and people should definitely check it out.”
Many of the cast and crew agree with Atkin’s take on “The Play That Goes Wrong.” The play features many big and small props that each have a role on stage. The play has many moving parts so lots of people are excited to see everything come together and watch everything go wrong.
Many people who worked on the play hope that the audience enjoys the shows and takes in every detail.
MacGovern said, “The show is nothing like we have ever done before. So as long as the audience is willing to have a good time, I feel like they will be able to laugh and know that the things happening onstage are part of the show because there are some really really humorous parts. To get tickets there is a link on our website, QR codes on our posters, you can buy tickets on Seat Yourself and you can also buy them at the door.”
General admission for the play is $10 per person. Opening night is student rush, so students get their tickets for $5 that day.
People attending the play on Nov. 20-22 are asked to make their way to their seats by 7:00 p.m. Anyone who has questions about seating can ask the front of house team, which will be identifiable by their red sashes on show days.
