1920s’ murder mystery features all-frosh cast
“Have you gotten back to it? Acting?” Asks Leo.
“No,” admits Louise, “No, I’ve changed professions, actually.”
“Well what are you doing? It’s not illegal, is it? Housebreaking … ?” asks Bobby.
Louise replies, “No. I’ve become a medium.”
Silence fills the room. It is broken by Bobby’s reply, “You mean you … talk to dead people?”
“Things like that,” replies Louise.
This archived article was written by: Kayla Bradley
“Have you gotten back to it? Acting?” Asks Leo.
“No,” admits Louise, “No, I’ve changed professions, actually.”
“Well what are you doing? It’s not illegal, is it? Housebreaking … ?” asks Bobby.
Louise replies, “No. I’ve become a medium.”
Silence fills the room. It is broken by Bobby’s reply, “You mean you … talk to dead people?”
“Things like that,” replies Louise.
College of Eastern Utah’s theatre department is presenting a thrilling mystery you will never forget. “PostMortem” by Ken Ludwig, directed by Corey Ewan, is a toe curling, teeth chattering and suspenseful event. The show opens Sept. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the Geary Theatre and will run Sept. 16, 17, 19, and 20.
Dr. Ewan is excited to be directing a mystery. He says, “I wanted to do a mystery for a long time. When I read this show, I knew I wanted to do it. Some mysteries you tend to figure out easily, but this one had me guessing.” Ewan thinks the performance is coming along nicely and the cast is working hard to strengthen their characters. He hopes the actors will have fun working on this show. “I want them to enjoy the process,” he says. “The rest will come.” The most rewarding part of directing is “when the actor gets it. When they make the discovery that they really can do what they’re doing. And you see it in their eyes and you hear it in their voice and they walk away feeling like they’ve done something incredible. That will stay with them forever.”
Bo Brady, a sophomore at CEU, is having a wonderful experience as the stage manager for this production. His job is to keep everything on track and running smoothly. He works with the blocking, lines and gives the technical calls. Brady has studied theatre eight years. After graduating from CEU, he plans to audition for The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. “I learn more about theatre everyday. I continue to learn, it’s a huge learning process.”
William Gillette, played by Mike Rohde, is based on a real character. Gillette was a famous playwright and a talented actor in the early 1920s. Some of the roles Rohde has played include an ugly step-sister in “Cinderella”, Robin Hood in “Robin Hood”, and his favorite role as Benedict in “Much Ado About Nothing”. He has learned to project and listen to others. He loves theatre and plans to eventually transfer to BYU to study music and pursue his love for jazz.
Alex King is playing Leo Barrett, “a nice guy who wants to be friends with everyone.” King has acted since he was five years old and been in shows such as “Ten Little Indians” as the inspector, Bill in “Me and My Girl” and Gideon in “Seven Brides For Seven Brothers”. He thinks making his character interesting has been challenging. He is learning to work with new people and having a blast. King plans to major in theatre and hopes to act professionally after serving an LDS mission.
“If I were to describe Bobby in one word it would probably be … stupid,” says Zachari M. Reynolds who is playing Bobby in CEU’s upcoming production. His character is not very bright and does not think before he speaks. Reynolds began acting when he was “accidentally” put into a theatre class in the eighth grade. “I grew addicted to the stage,” he admits. Zach has acted as Mr. Bixby in “Seven Brides For Seven Brothers”, a nerd in “Sixties Mania” and Claudio in “Much Ado About Nothing”. It is now his major and he hopes to professionally act or teach acting one day. He is learning much and having fun with the new cast.
Marion Barrett, played by Heidi Scott, is a strong, quick, witty character. Scott began acting her sophomore year at Carbon High. “My dad was the drama teacher there and I figured if I was going to be stuck without a ride, I might as well participate,” says Scott with a laugh. Scott has played an orphan in “Annie”, an angel in “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” and her favorite role as Emma in “Under the Overpass”. She is emotionally tied to this show and says the cast is very close, “theatre people just click.”
“It’s hard to know how a 70 year old acts,” says Chelsea Bingham who is playing Lilly Warner in “PostMortem”. “Corey has to help me a lot especially with how she carries herself and acts with other people.” Bingham has been in several shows including “The Rainmaker”, “West Side Story” and “The Crucible”. “Corey is focusing on developing relationships between the characters, projecting and thinking about what you’re saying,” she added.
Jordan Elkins is playing Louise Parradine, “If she were to snap, someone would die,” says Elkins about her devious, cunning character. Elkins says this is probably the most challenging character she has ever played because it has really pushed her out of her comfort zone. Some of Jordan’s favorite roles include Abby in “Arsenic and Old Lace”, Madame Thenardier in “Les Miserables” and Brooke in “Noises Off”. She has learned, “You must let go of yourself. No matter how good you are you can always be better.” Elkins is double majoring in English and theatre. She hopes to teach acting at a high school or college level so she can “share how freeing it is.”
May Dison, played by Kylee Bird, is an intelligent, modern woman, who is not afraid of speaking her mind. “The biggest thing I’ve learned is not to think, to just do. I over justify things too much. All I can really do is try. You must let go and let yourself be the character.” Bird has been acting since she was three years old and has accomplishments varying from directing to stage managing. She also loved acting in her most recent show “Ten Little Indians” as Vera.
