By Ned Doherty ’25
Each spring, the Senior IB Theatre class puts on a full production of a play. This year, the class is performing Clue, written by Sandy Rustin and based on the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn. Of course, it’s inspired by the classic mystery board game we all know and love.
Here’s how the ticket website describes it:
“Based on the iconic 1985 Paramount movie which was inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, Clue is a hilarious farce-meets-murder mystery. The tale begins at a remote mansion, where six mysterious guests assemble for an unusual dinner party where murder and blackmail are on the menu. When their host turns up dead, they all become suspects. Led by Wadsworth the butler, Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock, and Colonel Mustard race to find the killer as the body count stacks up. Clue is the comedy whodunit that will leave both cult-fans and newcomers in stitches as they try to figure out… WHO did it, WHERE, and with WHAT!”
This year’s cast and crew features a talented mix of students. The class consists of six boys—Conrad Pratt, Parker Morse, Parker Coale, Oliver Bressner, Davis Boyce, and Josh Matthews—and seven girls—Cina Daskalakis, Shannon Edwards, Cianna Ferrante, Isabelle Rehak, Kelsey Rosenburough, McKinley Stamper, and Keira Thomas.
Joining them on stage in a few supporting roles are Ned Doherty and Liz Douglas. While most students have acting roles, a few have taken on major responsibilities behind the scenes. Keira Thomas is the director and sound lead. Cianna Ferrante serves as tech director, set lead, and is part of the lighting team. Parker Coale is head stage manager and leads the lighting team.
Here’s the full list of participants, their characters, and production roles:
| Name | Character(s) | Production Role |
|---|---|---|
| Boyce, Davis | Boddy, Cop, Backup Cop | Props Lead |
| Bressner, Oliver | Mr. Green | Set Team |
| Coale, Parker | N/A | Head Stage Manager, Lighting Lead |
| Daskalakis, Cina | Mrs. White, Whispering Voice | Set Team |
| Doherty, Ned | Motorist, Chief of Police | N/A |
| Douglas, Liz | Backup Cop | N/A |
| Edwards, Shannon | Yvette | Costume Team |
| Ferrante, Cianna | N/A | Tech Director, Set Lead, Lighting Team |
| Matthews, Josh | Wadsworth | Sound Team |
| Morse, Parker | Professor Plum | Props Team |
| Pearlstein, Elena | N/A | Lighting Team |
| Pratt, Conrad | Colonel Mustard | Set Team |
| Rehak, Isabelle | Miss Scarlet | Costume Team |
| Rosenburough, Kelsey | Cook, Singing Telegram, Dark Figure | Costumes Lead |
| Stamper, McKinley | Mrs. Peacock | Props Team |
| Thomas, Keira | N/A | Director, Sound Lead |
The class began working on the production in mid-January. Due to issues with obtaining the correct script in February, the students had to make major adjustments, including switching characters, relearning blocking, and essentially starting from scratch.
Despite the setbacks, the class has remained resilient. Students have worked hard to memorize lines, build sets, and prepare for showtime. They’ve entered the final stretch and will be holding after-school and weekend rehearsals to ensure everything is ready.
If you’ve been around campus lately, you’ve probably seen posters for Clue, designed by the class. A standout piece of promotion can be found on the Mission Stairs in the Upper School—a chalk outline of a body surrounded by caution tape and scattered “evidence.” QR codes at the scene direct students to the ticket site. The “crime scene” has certainly turned heads and sparked excitement.
The class is excited to bring Clue to the Ward Center Theater stage and hopes to see students and faculty in the audience on April 9, 10, or 11 at 7:00 PM. Come out for a night—or all three—and support your peers in this thrilling, hilarious mystery.
Buy tickets here: https://stpaulsmdtickets.ludus.com/index.php
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