Dozens turned out for the 100 Mile Youth Theatre's first-ever production last weekend.
A dozen local youth and young adults came together this summer to put on their rendition of Murderous Crossing, an interactive dinner theatre murder mystery and musical. Despite some early nerves and flubbed lines, the cast soon gained confidence and delivered a fun and enjoyable night of theatre.
Sarah Carter, the show's director and president of the theatre, said she felt things went great for her actors.
"This was a whole new group of kids I've gotten to work with. All the kids have had so much fun, I've seen them with so many big smiles on their faces," Carter remarked. "They were all nervous but they rocked it on the stage."
Murderous Crossing is set in 1923 aboard the HMS Victoria as it crosses the English Channel and revolves around the wedding of Contessa Nicole Follette and John D. Rothchild. However, no one is who they seem and with a serial killer loose on the ship the cast and audience must unravel the mystery of a series of murderers. Throw in an interactive audience element, it's safe to say the youth theatre punched above its weight for its first outing.
With a small cast, every actor needed to pull their weight and each of the young actors did so. Olivia Schaff's Miss Hastings provided a fussy and comedic presence throughout the evening while Mary Miller-Davis' dry deadpan delivery as Detective Pierre Clurot provided a perfect contrast for more colourful characters.
Kat Wetzig's foppish Lord Arthur Bennet was a positive delight to watch, while her sister Theresa Wetzig clearly relished her role as the villainous and calculating Vivian Rothchild. Meanwhile, Lucy Tillotson and Birdy Wetzig turned in earnest and heartfelt performances as Contessa and John, two would-be newlyweds trying to make the best of a bad situation.
The standout performance, however, belonged to Jasper Gilis in their role as Father Casse-Cou. Gilis fully embraced their role as a foolish and death-obsessed priest trying to bumble his way through a wedding, much to the delight of the crowd. After the performance, Gilis remarked they felt the entire cast pulled the show off very well.
"It's been really cool to see them (grow as actors). The fact they're able to get more comfortable in expressing themselves through a character," Gillis remarked. "The fact that some of them only joined us a few weeks ago and were able to get that all down is really impressive. I think they have improved phenomenally."
Gillis said one of their favourite moments is when Father Casse-Cou tries to get the audience to cry and wail, as well as when Kat Wetzig's Bennet had a melodramatic temper tantrum.
Producer Emma Jackson also felt the production came together well both onstage and backstage, with her crew helping ensure everything ran smoothly. Jackson said she was super eager to do the production, noting she and Carter became friends through Peter Skene Ogden Secondary School's theatre program.
"I'm super proud of everybody just to see how far they've come since auditions in June in just their acting and the connections they have made together. I'm hoping some of them will stay friends going forward," Jackson remarked. "Theatre brings the community together, at the end of the day."
Carter noted that all three of their performances, one on Friday, Aug. 23 and two on Saturday, Aug. 24 were sold out which was great for her actors. It was rewarding, she added, to watch her cast grow in confidence and develop their public speaking skills over the course of the summer thanks to her mentorship.
"I've definitely taken away some (lessons) for next time if we do it again next year," Carter remarked. "I'm not sure what the future holds for me next summer, but I do intend to come back and up here and the kids want to do it again."
Putting on a production next year is something Gillis and Jackson also support wholeheartedly. Gillis said they hope to have a sit-down chat with the cast and crew to discuss what worked and what went wrong so they can do even better next year.
"This was the first time we've ever done something like this and it was almost on a whim," Gillis said. "With all of the things we ran into, like people dropping out, we had to figure out just in the moment to keep the show going. I do think, based on tonight (Aug. 23) and these kids having fun, it's a nice summer activity to get to know people like you."
