COLLEGE PLAY: 'Murder on Center Stage' chosen for fall production
IVCC’s Theatre Department will present "Murder on Center Stage" by Jerry L. Twedt, October 25-28 in the cultural Center and Nov 4 at Starved Rock Lodge.
Karry Halbleib will play Hellen, the head of the theatre department. Melanie Mc Coy will play Miss Shotwell, the head of the English Department and authority on Shakespeare.
Genetta Douglas will play the Janitor of the theatre and Doug Kotecki will play Mr. Stanley, the janitor of the Fine Arts building.
Other members of the cast include Nicole Rice as Sharon, Fallon Manshrus as Alice, Karen Holt as Terry, Jeremy Taylor as David and Ryan Ziegler as Mike.
The murder mystery, set in a small Liberal Arts college on a stormy night during a rehearsal for the upcoming play Romeo and Juliet, is about the students, their theatre instructor and English teacher who pretend to go home and sneak back in order to catch the ghost of the theatre. Murders start to take place and the when they catch the ghost, it is actually a real person that they know.
Director Dr. David Allen Kuester said that the play is going to be an interesting challenge for the actors to play.
"It’s different than a regular play because the actors have to be in terror in our theatre terrified that they are locked in there alone with somebody who’s going to kill them" he said.
Technical Director Tom Schultz described the aspects that go into making the play.
"The killer takes over all the technical aspects of the theatre by remote control," Schultz said. "They make the sound system feed back before they strike and kill the lights at will."
"The set is going to be a bit of a challenge because its all bits and pieces of a halfway completed set for a play. Also, it has to be transferable out to Starved Rock Lodge for the dinner theatre we’re doing the next week."
The play will be presented October 25-27 at 8 p.m. and October 28 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available September 20 at the IVCC Bookstore. Tickets are $5 and admission is free to students. The November 4 show will be at Starved Rock Lodge. A prime rib dinner will be served at 6 p.m. and play presented at 7p.m. Tickets are $24.95. If interested, contact Dr. David Allen Kuester.