From board game to broadway: an insight into the process behind MSJ’s production of “Clue”

At Mount Saint Joseph, a large emphasis is placed on not being an “8:00 to 2:30 student.” The administration values student life enough to promote it both within and outside the school day. While for many students this may take the form of sport or STEM, others prefer performing arts.

Recently, student actors and stage crew from MSJ put on quite the show with their production of “Clue,” which premiered early this December. Lots of work goes into putting together a show, and to bring you insight into each step of the theatrical process, I asked actors, members of the stage crew, and the director himself, Mr. Michael Hartsfield, for their opinions on them.

For a show to be successful, it is crucial that each character be played by an actor who best fits their “mold,” so to speak. The director of the show typically can envision the personality behind each character and what they might look or sound like. During the audition process for “Clue,” each actor was tasked with reading specific lines from set scenes.

For example, in his deliberation on who should play what role, Mr. Hartsfield decided that Nathan Aisquith’s professional and, at times, humorous line delivery earned him the lead role of the butler, Mr. Wadsworth.

The first few weeks of rehearsals are typically reserved for memorizing lines and beginning to plan out our movement on the stage. This timeframe serves as an excellent opportunity to “get to know your character,” so to speak. Many actors find memorizing their lines to be a challenge, underscoring the importance of finding actors who are able to memorize lots of lines for larger characters during the casting phase.

While many actors, myself included, have trouble retaining their lines, others become accustomed to memorization. Nate Aisquith explained to me that lines aren’t much of a difficulty to him; instead, blocking poses the greatest challenge. “Eventually, I’m gonna get the lines, but what’s more important is that I have it semi-consistent where I’m standing… if I need to move anything for lighting, it just helps make everything easier later down the road. So having an idea of where I need to be- It’s a little difficult, but it’s very important.”

After the first few weeks of rehearsals, the stage crew enters the scene, quite literally, and begins to assemble the set. This is usually the noisiest time on set, not because actors are gaining confidence in their lines, but mainly because of the constant hum and whir of power tools building what, in our case, was a house from the ground up.

The actors rehearse as usual, but at this point, scripts are dropped, and the cast begins to get into character. All the while, the crew continued to build.

Bringing the iconic show to life presented many challenges, though, and one of the most difficult aspects for Mr. Hartsfield was figuring out how to compress the sprawling mansion into a mere three walls.

Hard at work building Boddy Manor, Ali Banks found assembling the walls to be a challenging yet interesting task. According to him, the most frustrating part of the assembly process was installing the door, because the effort required to even set the wall was so great. He did, however, take an interest in the other functional elements of Boddy Manor, sharing that “the most interesting thing was probably the amount of extra little gadgets that we slapped into the walls, like the little area for the safe.”

As tech week begins, actors ideally know every aspect of their role, and the set is fully constructed. Tech week is a week of dress rehearsals in which the stage and tech crews can test their equipment and complete final preparations. Actors don costumes for the first time, and the director makes any final corrections prior to the show.

For the most part, our tech week went off without a hitch. Most actors knew their lines well, and aside from a few minor adjustments, the set was complete. Lighting was a challenge, however, and Tim Arthur, who was working in the lighting booth at the time, had to work overtime before opening night to finish programming the lights (which he did an excellent job on). By the end of tech week, both cast and crew were confident in the show and eagerly anticipating opening night.

The show came and went, and aside from a couple of audio-related issues, it was a massive success. “Clue” was a hit, and the cast and crew were proud of what they had accomplished.

Following the weekend of the show, the cast met one more time to take down, or “strike” the set. Strike went remarkably quickly for such a complex set, and after finishing, I sat down and talked with our director, Mr. Michael Hartsfield. Typically, the director not only runs the show but also has a say in which show is produced. When asked what inspired him to choose “Clue”, Mr. Hartsfield explained how he remembered both the game and the television show very fondly. “I love the show mainly because I remember the game, and I love the movie. So that sort of was my favorite. Just sort of, it was nostalgic.”

The process of putting on a show may sound daunting, but it is truly a rewarding experience. Lots of effort goes into producing each show, though at the end of the day, the sense of achievement is well worth it. The theatre program at MSJ is a very friendly and welcoming community, so if you’ve ever wanted to try acting, there’s no better place to start than here at MSJ. This spring, we will be producing “Les Misérables”, and we’re always looking for fresh talent to join us, so what are you waiting for? You could be just the actor we’re looking for.

William Southern is a junior member of the Multimedia Journalism class.

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William Southern

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