The Siloam Springs High School's drama department's presentation of "The Secret Case of Sherlock Holmes" will be the last high school theater production for a group of five seniors.
The play will be presented at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 25, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 26, in the high school auditorium. It will be the final performance for actor Ricky Robertson, student director Taylor Nardi, student technical director Annelise Kinney, sound technician Hunter Clark and set construction worker George Eldridge.
In the play, written by Craig Sodaro and published by Pioneer Drama Services, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are hired to find a lost manuscript, but when their landlord shows up demanding rent they are forced to hide in H.G. Wells' time machine. They find themselves in the 21st century at the Freudley Institute, a mental institution specializing in treating patients who suffer from grandiose delusions. Mistaken for patients, the two detectives must solve a murder to prove they are who they claim to be and find a way home.
Drama teacher Dana McCutchen said she was attracted to the play because their are a lot of characters in the mental institution that will give her students an opportunity to work on character development.
Heath Lane of Blackdog Productions is the technical director for the production and is helping students build the sets, McCutchen said. The cast and crew for the play include 48 ninth- through 12th-graders, she said.
Senior Ricky Robertson has been involved in theater for all four years of his high school career. His experience has inspired him to choose teaching drama as a career.
Robertson said he "was the most introverted person in the entire world," when he started forensics as a freshman. He credits McCutchen with opening him up to the world of drama. Robertson discovered that performing on stage gave him a feeling of exhilaration that he compared to making a touchdown in football.
Being involved in theater taught senior Taylor Nardi to be a leader, she said. A friend convinced her to try helping with the tech at a drama production early in her high school career and she slowly worked her way up to stage manager and then student director.
Nardi, who describes herself as "pretty bossy," said she can see McCutchen's vision for the theater productions they put on together. McCutchen said Nardi is her right hand.
"She finishes my sentences," McCutchen said.
As student director, Nardi helps organize the production, produces posters and marketing materials, and helps actors further themselves. Her favorite part of participating in plays is working with the other students.
"We really become a family," she said.
Tickets will be available at the door and cost $4 for adults, $3 for students age 6 to 18, and free for children under 5.
General News on 04/19/2015