‘Noises Off’: Prepare To Laugh Out Loud!

By Larissa Lytwyn

After a tumultuous beginning to the school year, including the implementation of a pay-to-participate program and Drama Club advisor Tom Swetts’ contracting pneumonia, Newtown High School’s Drama Club is finally getting ready to present its fall play, the student-directed Noises Off!

“It’s a farce in the tradition of the old classic comedies,” said Mr Swetts. The piece, written by Michael Frayn, is unusual for a high school cast and crew, he said, because of its slapstick nature.

“I read the play and saw a movie version of it,” said Mr Swetts. “I found the concept intriguing.”

Many high school productions focus on long-produced gems such as last year’s Arsenic & Old Lace and next spring’s Les Miserables.

“This was my first time directing a play,” said director Leslie Greenfield, a senior at Newtown High School interested in pursuing a theater career. “I’m used to doing musicals, so this was a new experience in many ways!”

The production centers on the inside story of wacky theater troupe’s rendition of a play called Nothing’s On.

“The first act is a rehearsal of Nothing’s On,” said Leslie. “The [Newtown High School] audience sees how chaotic everything is. None of the actors know their lines or even understand the plot!”

The second act, she continued, gives audiences another taste of the Nothing’s On rehearsal — from a backstage perspective. The audience is treated to a behind-the-scenes look into the Nothing’s On cast and crew’s “real-life” drama.

“Much of the set is actually mobile,” said Mr Swetts, whose technical theater degree directs his focus to the design aspect of the production. Sets are built and stored at a special facility at Fairfield Hills, he said, then transported to Newtown High School to be used for the actual play.

The third and final act is the actual production of Nothing’s On.

“Basically, everything that can go wrong does!” laughed Leslie. She described the first act as “funny,” the second act as “funnier,” and the third as “absolutely hilarious.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing how our audience responds to it,” she said. “And I’m so excited to be a part of it! It’ll be great to see my name underneath [the title]. Everyone has worked really hard to bring this together.”

Noises Off! will be performed Thursday, January 8, and Friday, January 9, at 8 pm, and January 10 at 4:30 and 8pm. Tickets are available through calling 426-7646.