NFHS, Thurs, 10/30, 7:00 p.m.; Sat, 11/1,  2:00 & 7:00 p.m.; Sun, 11/2, 2:00 p.m.

By Sarah Opdahl

Local theater kids will take to the New Fairfield High School (NFHS) auditorium stage from October 30 through November 2, in the hilarious production of Sandy Rustin’s Clue, the High School Edition, based on the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn. The show centers on a lively cast of characters at a dinner party, similarly to the classic film and board game, following Scarlet, Plum, White, Green, Peacock, and Mustard as they quest to discover who is the murderer among them.

NFHS Choral Director and Theater Advisor Andrew Gadwah relayed that the choice of Clue for the fall play was a decision made in concert with the student Director Chloe Adams, a Senior at the school. After Chloe expressed her interest in being a student director, former school production Director Jess Smith “encouraged Chloe to research some shows that might be good fits for our fall production, and she came up with a list of a few shows, including research on the pros and cons for each. From that list, we all agreed that Clue was the perfect choice – it’s a crowd-pleasing comedy, lots of fun, and has great name recognition which will hopefully encourage even more of the town and community to come out and support the fall play!” Chloe shared, “I love the characters. Every character in this show is so eccentric and differently motivated, it makes it so much fun to watch the brilliant actors dive into the roles they have been given and put their all into making them seem real and fleshed out while being genuine and true to the story.”

Having been involved in theater since she was four years old, Chloe, for whom Smith was a mentor,  said “It’s been such an amazing experience experiencing the other sides of making a show as opposed to just acting. The collaboration has been so eye opening and, as stressful as this whole process is sometimes, being able to throw myself fully into this role has been such a wonderful experience.” She went on, “Seeing the vision I had at the start of this process come together from the brilliant actors to the dedicated tech crew to all the adults supporting us in putting this show together has been really cool to see and be part of.” In turn, Gadwah was happy to praise Chloe’s work, “She was extraordinarily prepared as we embarked on the rehearsal process. Working with her as the advisor for this production, my job has been to help Chloe bring her ideas to reality. Every decision is built on a checklist of a million smaller decisions, which is a daunting task for any director to wrap their head around! From set design, to sound effects, to working with the actors – in everything, Chloe has brought her directorial vision, and we have worked together to bring it all to a whole cohesive production.”

Clue is a fast-paced, dry, and witty comedy, which meant “lots of fun for young actors to play around with, and I hope these students love the learning that they gain from this experience,” Gadwah reflected, saying “Our actors came into this process with so many strong ideas for their characters already, and it has been great to see those ideas continue to grow and develop throughout the rehearsal process.” For Chloe, it was a unique experience to direct many of her peers in the show, “The actors have dove right into the roles they were cast in! Even from the first read through, they have been giving all these eccentric characters their all. It’s been so much fun seeing the other side of the acting process for once getting to see all of my friends grow into the roles and find the funny moments in this show.”

Intending to study stage directing in college, Chloe was given real challenges throughout the production including the difficult balance of time and roles, “managing everything that needs to happen with the cast, all the tech aspects, and everything I need to do for school. It’s stressful and hard to manage at times.” In addition, “Most of our cast this year are seniors like me. We have a cast of 12 actors in the show and unfortunately we had to cut 11 talented actors, as the characters that are in the show can only be stretched so thin and it was a hard decision to make especially since everyone who came to audition is a peer. “ Happily, she added, “we will definitely have enough people for this year’s spring musical.”

Chloe was not alone in this endeavor, as NFHS seniors Taylor Proto (stage manager) and Dennis Cascio (assistant stage manager) have efficiently led the technical and set aspects of the show. They, along with a couple dozen students, worked many hours to help build set pieces and props, design sound and lighting, gather costumes, and more. Chloe shared, of Taylor and Dennis, “I honestly couldn’t do it without them and we work as such a great team.” Gadwah shared, “We also have an amazing parent team that volunteered and helped us out throughout the process: the Eklund family, the Proto family, the McCartney family, the Dwy family, the Lombard family, and more.

Humbled by the process, Chloe is so very excited to put on the show with the cast and crew, whom she thanked, along with her parents who “have always been so supportive of me and have provided so much help throughout my life and now.”

Thinking about her hopes for the show, Chloe says, “There is one scene I am particularly excited for and it’s the scene before the group splits up to search the house. Colonel Mustard, the puffy military man, calls the “troops” to attention and they all snap back into a line. He then starts counting them off in a game of “One Potato, Two Potato” and each time it makes me laugh. That scene is one I hope lands with the audience for each performance.” Gadwah shared, “Like any good murder mystery, I hope the audience is kept intrigued, wondering “whodunnit”, all the way until the chaos and confusion comes to a climax at the end of the show and all is revealed!”

It’s no mystery that this production of Clue is the place to be on Thursday, 10/30, 7:00 p.m.; Saturday, 11/1, 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.; and Sunday, 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $5, cash only at the door on Thursday’s preview night; $15 adults, $10/students and seniors on Saturday and Sunday, available at the door or at: Rebelplayers.booktix.com.