Alive OnStage Opening Night
Alive OnStage brings horror classics to life
Kayla Pongrac
Our Town Correspondent
Just in time for Halloween, the Richland Drama Series plans to present "Alive OnStage!," a series of four plays based on some of literature's most beloved classics.
Guy de Maupassant's "The Necklace," W.W. Jacobs's "The Monkey's Paw," Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" and Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" will be performed back-to-back by a 24-person cast.
Scott Miller, Richland Performing Arts Center executive director, said that the cast is comprised of Richland High School students in grades 9 through 12.
Also acting as the director of "Alive OnStage!," Miller said that more than 50 students auditioned this year; some students are new to the stage, while others have starred in previous productions.
"We have a nice mix," Miller said. "I'm working with a group of wonderful kids."
It was the kids, in part, who inspired Miller to choose the stories he did.
"A lot of our students start reading these stories early on in their curriculum," he said, adding that the literary theme serves as an educational opportunity for the student actors.
Describing the adaptations as "shorts," Miller said that each play will run between 20 to 30 minutes, and the entire production is scheduled to last just over two hours.
"(The plays) give you an abridged version of every story," he said.
"The Necklace" reveals a poor woman's high hopes to fit in with the upper class by way of wearing a diamond necklace borrowed from a wealthy friend. When the woman loses the necklace, she refuses to confess, and she and her husband have no choice but to replace it and spend the next 12 years paying off their debt.
A family believes a talisman left to them by a storyteller will grant them three wishes. The storyteller, however, advises them to dispose of it. "The Monkey's Paw" portrays how the family's wishes come true in the worst of ways.
The narrator in Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" can't escape the murderous crime he committed against an old man with a "vulture eye." He is convinced that he can hear the old man's heart in the floorboards, where the body is hidden.
"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" recounts the ghostly story of the Headless Horseman and the town through which he rides. Set in a Dutch settlement, audiences will follow Ichabod Crane and Katrina Van Tassel on their journey through their enchanted town.
The intricacy involved in performing four plays in one night has led Miller to introduce his student actors to theatrical concepts found on Broadway: a universal stage, which gives the audience an opportunity to paint the picture of the sets, and a multi-level stage, which makes the actors work within specific stage parameters.
Miller invites the community to attend one of the three performances.
"We always strive to really enrich our community," he said. "We do have a great community that is supportive of the arts. They believe in these kids."
Performance times are scheduled for Oct. 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 23 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults and $7 for seniors and students. They can be purchased at the box office before each performance, online by visiting www.richlandpac.com or by calling the box office at 814-269-0300. A service fee charge applies for online orders.
The Richland Performing Arts Center is located in the Richland High School. The center is currently celebrating its 35th season.
