Students to present interactive production
Staff writer
Marion High School students will take the stage next week with their production of “Granny Smyth Goes to Washington.”
Directed by Megan Jones, the show will be performed not at the Performing Arts Center but in the ballroom of the Marion Community Center at 7 p.m. March 12 and 13 and at 2 p.m. March 14.
Rehearsals began in January, with a goal of giving students a different kind of theater experience, Jones said.
The show will be staged in a smaller venue with a focus on projection, diction, and audience interaction.
“This show is a melodrama, so I wanted to take them back to early American theatre, a smaller stage without all the bells and whistles,” Jones said. “It forces them to really have to work on projection and diction.”
The production is designed as a dessert theater, with audience members seated at tables. Refreshments will be served during the performance.
The format will allow actors to interact more directly with the audience, Jones said, while sharpening comedic timing and improvisation skills.
Written by Sue Rae and set in Washington Territory, the play follows the antics of a jewel thief who disguises herself as a pie baker while attempting to sell stolen gems.
The plot intertwines with a local delivery man’s efforts to procure ice for dessert, leading to mistaken identities and comedic confusion.
Featured performers include Gabrielle Stuchlik, Jaxon Salsbury, Abby Dunford, Kattie Stultz, Eldon Smith, and Margaret Collett.
Tickets cost $10 and include dessert and a beverage. Advance purchase is recommended because seating is limited.
Tickets are available at Taco’s Food Truck, the Marion High School office, and Marion City Hall.
Jones encouraged audiences to embrace the spirit of melodrama.
“Don’t be afraid to cheer the hero, boo the villain, or laugh your heart out,” she said.