From November 7-9, the cast of “Noises Off” delivered a stunning performance that left audience members glued to their seats.
This year’s fall drama was Michael Frayn’s “Noises Off”. The show contained three acts, each one packed with laughs and polished acting. The show was quite different and more technical compared to other productions that Masque and Wig had done in the past.
“The production that we chose to do this year was very very difficult, especially for people of our age and I think that we handled it very maturely […] and I think that it’s a story that’s very hard to help the audience understand and we did succeed in that…,” said senior Sofie B, who played Dotty.
The cast and crew worked hard to put together this complex, yet rewarding production.
“The hours [at rehearsals] were way longer than usual because it was a longer show and I mean, if you saw it, it was much crazier. There were less people in the show, but somehow it was harder for [the cast],” said sophomore Cassidy G, who played Tim.
The set used for “Noises Off” was unique, as it took up almost the entire stage. It was built to resemble a house and it switched sides from act to act.
“We have […] Mr. [William] Patterson, who built the entire set, which is basically a house and it took him months,” said Sofie.
The timing of certain elements of the production were crucial to continuing the seamless flow of the show.
“I didn’t do this specifically, but people like Logan [who played Selsdon] and Richie [who played Garry] had to enter, one of them had to enter as soon as the other one exited and it ended up looking great, but it was, I assumed very hard to do timing with that, especially on a big set,” said sophomore Derek H, who played Llyod.
Much of the preparations for the production aren’t realized by the audience. While the audience only sees the show for a few hours, the cast and crew spend hours at rehearsals every day perfecting the show.
“[The audience doesn’t] know how choreographed [the show] is. It’s kind of like one big giant dance, especially for Act 2…,” said senior Vanessa S, who played Brooke.
The weeks leading up to the show can be stressful, with pressure on the cast and crew growing as opening night gets closer.
“…going into tech week [the cast was] all frazzled. There were a lot of like minor issues that built up, but then once we got to our dress rehearsal […], it all was fine,” said Cassidy.
Another part of the show that goes unseen by the audience is the crew, who manage microphone checks, prop placement, along with many other things that keep the show going.
“…it takes hours and hours of labor and […] I sacrifice a lot of my time and energy into the show, to make it perfect,” said junior Ella K, head runner of the stage crew.
Both the cast and the crew use their skills and hard work to put together the finished project that was seen by the audience.
“…because [“Noises Off” is] such a complicated production, there was so much that went into it backstage, so I hope that the audience was also able to understand the complications that go into it,” said Sofie.
With the combined effort of the cast and crew, “Noises Off” came together in a hilarious, refined manner.◼️
