By Kelsey Blanton

Reporter

After Blue Springs South’s theater students performed “Hamlet” last year, one of the most dramatic and difficult plays to put on, “Hamlet,” they decided to take more of a subtle and comical approach for this year’s play.

On October 15, 16, and 17, the theater department will perform “You Have the Right to Remain Dead,” a comical murder mystery; it is also a play within a play. The majority of the actors will be playing two roles, one role in the actual play and another role for the play being performed during the play.

Junior Isabelle Loos has been in every play South has put on since her freshman year and believes this one might be a little tricky.

“It’s kind of difficult having to think as a character who is thinking as another character. It is kind of like having multiple personalities going on at once,” Loos said.

Even though this play might be a little tough to do, South has been known to be good with comedy plays. They just have to work a little harder this time to get the flow right and have all the right timing so the audience understands and can participate.

A big part of this play also requires audience participation to keep it more interesting. During the play, the audience will be encouraged to write down who they think the murderer is on their pamphlet along with other things they think of while the play progresses. Throughout the show the audience will also have the chance to ask some of the actor’s questions that go along with what is going on in the play, but the murderer will not be revealed until the end.  Audience participation will also help with making each show different, it will allow a variety of questions to be asked and answered.

Susan Cooper, the theater teacher at South, believes that audience participation might be the hardest part of the show.

“Since it is an audience participation play, none of the actors will know what will be asked by an audience member, so they will have to think of an answer that their character might say; that’s what makes us have to work a lot harder,” Cooper said.

The theater department has been working for about a month on this play, starting in September and they still have a few more weeks left. They have been working hard to try and perfect this for the audience.

Cooper believes that the theater department has the ability to put on this show.

“At South we have been better at doing comedies, but this one we have to just work a little bit harder,” Cooper said.

The tickets will be $6 for adults and $5 for students.