Armchair detectives can put their sleuthing skills to the test and uncover who killed whom, with what and where, as the Academy at Charlemont brings the cult-classic whodunnit “Clue” to life. From the iconic board game to the 1985 film, this production transforms the academy’s recital hall into a house of mystery, challenging audiences to solve the crime before the final curtain falls.
Performances will take place at the academy at 1359 Route 2 on March 7, 8, 13, and 14. With shows beginning at 7 p.m. on March 7 and 13, and 2 p.m. on March 8 and 14, audiences can see how nearly the whole school have come together to put on this production, based on the 1985 film and the iconic board game. Tickets are $15, except for March 14, when they will be $5.
Students, who have been working together every day since November auditions and now just about finish each other’s sentences, said it should be a good performance, with lots of twists and turns for audiences to enjoy.
“It’s a really run play. We have a lot of fun with ensemble casts,” said senior Fallon Paxton, playing Mrs. White.
“I think it’s going to be really funny and engaging, for sure,” said senior Ainsley Murray, playing Wadsworth the butler.
“Especially because it’s Clue, you have to really be looking at who is doing what and where,” said sophomore Alaric Galvagni, who plays Mr. Green.
Students said the show will be a bit different from what audiences may have seen in the movie or in other theatrical productions because at the Academy, Director Kim Karlin, whom students call “Ms. OK,” works to ensure all students are included. They said scenes with a police officer have been altered to include a police officer and a friend; one newscaster became two; and a groundskeeper was added.
“She always makes sure anyone who wants to act gets a part,” Murray said.
Senior Lucas Tikkala-Cutler, who plays Professor Plum, said there are also a lot of students involved behind the scenes. During the winter, activity options for students are more limited than in the fall or spring, so more students end up giving drama a try, either on or offstage.
“Part of it is the community aspect that’s just natural to our school, and the philosophy I have behind theater, that is, it should be accessible to anyone,” said Karlin. “Once you create this sense of community and belonging, it becomes infectious, and you want to be there.”
Students added that this year’s performance will be extra special because, after years of fundraising, the drama department was able to purchase a new set of lights. The new LED system empowers the department to employ advanced lighting techniques and dynamic color mixing — a feature especially fitting for a production whose characters are defined by their vibrant names.
“We got new lights this year, which is really exciting. They’re LEDs, and the lightboard is so fancy and cool, which is awesome for a play that has six colorfully named characters,” Tikkala-Cutler said.
Paxton said that the lights will help break up the set, and allow audiences to better understand when the cast has moved into a different room since the school’s recital hall is too small to build a mansion in.
“It’s small and we don’t have a ton of backstage space and we don’t have space for more than two tiny sets on stage at once, so there’s a lot of work that the techies have to do to move things around,” Paxton said. “And we kind of have to shove all seven of us into one quarter of the stage a lot of the time so we’re not spilling into the kitchen from the lounge.”
The small space has required students to think more creatively about how they want to tell the story, which they said has included more detailed sets and props, including pipes, clue-themed guns, a wrench and a chandelier capable of falling on an unsuspecting cast member.
“Our version is sort of caricaturized. The secret passageways and the doors are all more cartoony than they are in the literal [version],” Karlin said. “I was like ‘we either have to build a mansion with this many rooms and floors and staircases, or totally do the opposite and suggest everything.’ Being in a little place like our little recital hall is a lesson in creativity.”
For senior cast members, this will be their last time gracing the stages of Charlemont, and they said it’s a bittersweet moment, but they’re excited to serve as role models for younger students in the program.
“I’m mostly excited to see all the younger students coming into themselves, because I was that little eighth grader, and so it’s bittersweet,” Murray said. “I’m looking forward to working with my younger brother, who’s also in the show. It’s sad to leave, but I’m also glad they’re going to get their chance to be center stage.”
“I feel excited to be nostalgic about the Theater Club. There are so many memories over five years now,” added Tikkala-Cutler. “And moving from that being that young kid looking up to all these seniors who are just the coolest to running headfirst into trying to put that role on for a younger kid is a very powerful experience.”
Paxton added that the students have known and worked together for so many years, and it will be sad to say goodbye.
“I’m really sad to lose Ms. Ok as a director, and I’m sad I won’t get to be onstage with my friends anymore,” Paxton said. “One hundred percent of the senior class is involved in the play and we have been for a very long time and so it feels like there’s a real crew there and I’m gonna miss that.”
Director Kim Karlin said that over the course of their years at Charlemont, students involved in theater learn everything about production. She’s confident they could run the sound, lights and stage completely on their own.
“It’s something that’s pretty unique … as a high school program. When we run the show, it’s all run by students. They’re [running] the lightboard, the sound, the backstage — all of the show,” Karlin said. “If I wasn’t here and Jackie [assistant director Jackie Walsh] wasn’t here, they could do the whole show without us. That’s the goal of the program, to make it theirs.”
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit charlemont.org.