The Guilderland Players are aiming to captivate audiences with a suspenseful thriller following a dominating husband and his seemingly mad wife.
The fall production for Guilderland High School’s drama club diverges from its typically comedic selection and turns to “Night Watch,” written by Lucille Fletcher. The story centers around a woman battling with insomnia and anxiety, said club advisor Andrew Maycock, and what she says she sees outside her window.
“It has some neat twists and turns near the end, and it is very dramatic and doesn’t really let up from beginning to end in terms of tensions and anxiety,” Maycock said. “One of the nice things about it is because of those twists and turns at the end, it kind of begs for a second viewing.”
Maycock said many of the drama club members have experience doing comedies, so he wanted to select something not quite as humorous this year. Many of the drama club members said after rehearsals on Friday, Nov. 1, they like shifting into a different direction.
“We have done comedies and it has had more of a lighter feel for the audience, but this show being a thriller is more serious in nature and that is a bit of a switch in pace,” senior Cody Ingraham said. “I think it is a good change of pace.”
Ingraham said he likes playing his character, Curtis Appleby, who provides much of the comedy relief through the play.
Sophomore Josh Kahn said having different personalities in the production adds to the depth of the story, and makes it feel more real. Several cast members also agreed the side characters stand out even more in the production because the main character, Elaine Wheeler, heavily drives the piece.
Some of the actors were new to the stage, Maycock said, so he provided them with an overview of the fundamentals before they got into character.
“Once they have the basics, I think they really enjoy the story and the telling of it,” Maycock said. “There are really wonderfully dramatic, explosives elements in this story that I think are going to really surprise people.”
The most challenging aspect is getting kids to attend rehearsals, said Maycock, with all of the other commitments students have from athletics to having a job. He stresses students to practice memorizing their lines so everything goes smoothly on the big night.
Maycock said sophomore Eliana Rowe, who plays the main character, has been great at playing Elaine Wheeler. He said what’s unusual about this play is how much Rowe’s character drives each scene, which also requires a lot of lines to memorize.
“I think she feels a lot of pressures, which she is handling great,” said Maycock.
Rowe said playing the lead role is sometimes difficult while balancing coursework and other extracurricular activities. Also if she doesn’t remember her lines, the play could come to a standstill.
“I have been in plays before, but it would be a funny character and I have never really had to play a serious character,” said Rowe, “so that was difficult and fun.”
Oddly enough, Rowe said she didn’t want the role at first, but she has grown to “really like” playing her character. She has also found some similarities between her and her character.
“I am usually a shy person, but when I get on stage it is kind of different because then I get to be someone else,” Rowe said. “And I don’t have to be myself, and I don’t have to deal with my problems … I can just go. That is really helpful, and that is really nice.”
The Guilderland Players will perform “Night Watch” on Nov. 7, 8, and 9 at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium. Tickets are $5 and will be available at the door on the night of the first showing. The high school PTA will also be hosting the concession stand each night.