By Marta Karpovich
For nearly eleven months, students in the senior IB Theater II class have been working tirelessly to bring their final performance to life, together producing, directing, designing and acting in their play-of-choice for 2025, Clue.
IB Theater is a two-year course offered to both SP and SPSG students in their junior year. Throughout the course, students engage with all aspects of the production process from lighting and sound to directing and acting. Their final project is a play or musical, chosen by the class, that the students are responsible for bringing to the stage. Seniors in IB Theater II execute the entire show, from planning to production, without any help from teachers or professional directors, except in strictly advisory roles. They are not only graded on their performances, but also on ticket sales, marketing, tech and stage design.
The process began last April, when the class was tasked with deciding on a show for the spring of 2025. Clue seemed like an obvious choice for the then-juniors, as the talent represented in their IB Theater class perfectly aligned with the characters in the famous game-turned-movie-turned-play. To cast the show, each student auditioned for the rest of the class, after which they all anonymously picked who they thought would fit best in each role. To fill out the production team, the class picked a Director, Stage Manager and Tech Director, each of whom would be tasked with leading the charge in their respective areas of production.
While staging and rehearsing the show itself, the class divided into teams that would manage various aspects of the production. These teams included costuming, stage design, tech design and marketing.
The costuming team drew sketches of what they imagined each character would look like, picking out makeup, fabrics, designs and colors that made sense for the show. They were then responsible for ordering, making or borrowing whatever they needed to bring their designs to life, all within a small budget.
The tech and stage design teams were tasked with brainstorming what they wanted the audience to see and experience on stage during the show. The students considered every minute detail, down to the design on the floor of the stage and the lighting they wanted in various scenes. They decided on set pieces and decorations, which they either made themselves or rented, hosting various “build days” in which classmates painted, hammered and glued structures together. For tech design, students considered what color lighting they wanted in each scene, when they wanted spotlights and where, and what sound effects they needed to bring the show to life.
Lastly, the marketing team had to figure out how to best advertise the show so that both students and teachers would want to attend their performances. They designed their own promotional posters and hung them around campus, made announcements during assemblies, sent promotional emails and came up with rewards for coming to see Clue. Seniors on the marketing team dared to think outside the box this year, imagining creative ways to increase Clue attendance and include audiences in the spirit of the show. As they are graded on how many tickets are sold, the students worked tirelessly to promote both their show and the immensely hard work that went into it.
Clue opens on April 9 at 7 pm, with performances on April 10 and 11 at the same time. Below is a list of the cast members and production team.
CLUE CAST AND PRODUCTION TEAM:
Joey Zinzi and George Croft as Newscasters 1 & 2
SK Kolliegbo as McCarthy
Shannon Edwards as Yvette
Josh Matthews as Wadsworth
Kelsey Rosenburough as Cool/Singing Telegram Girl/Dark Figure
Conrad Pratt as Colonel Mustard
Cina Daskalakis as Mrs. White
McKinley Stamper as Mrs. Peacock
Oliver Bressner as Mr. Green
Parker Morse as Professor Plum
Isabelle Rehak as Ms. Scarlet
Davis Boyce as Boddy/Cop/Backup Cop/Dark Figure
Ned Doherty as Motorist/Chief of Police
Liz Douglas as Dark Figure/Backup Cop
Cianna Ferrante as Technical Director
Parker Coale as Stage Manager
Keira Thomas as Director
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