Jaydon Mangiaracina
Staff Writer
The classic play, “Witness For the Prosecution” by Agatha Christie will run on April 5 through April 14 at Buckner Theater. Directed by Paul Bawek, the play will be shown on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., and Sunday’s matinee at 2:30 p.m. on both weekends.
If you’ve enjoyed Christie’s “Death on the Nile,” and “The Mysterious Affair at Styles,” you are in for another treat, as the crew works hard to bring the murder-mystery to life.
Cast and crew members put hours into curating a play perfect for their audience. Costume designers craft each item of clothing individually for each actress and actor, making sure the costumes display the right look to the audience. The scene and crew makes the set feel like you are inside a courtroom when walking into the theater, and especially to the cast members, who must transform into their character.
But the setting is not the only thing they need to get into character. According to senior actress Lily Brewster, starring as Romaine Heilger, researching dialect and character personalities is essential.
“We have been studying dialects in order to prepare vocally for this show, meaning listening to tapes and even spelling out our lines phonetically to help with pronunciation,” Brewster said.
A part of Brewster’s research includes making a “detailed character study.”
“Every actor has a different process when it comes to getting into character. I know some of my castmates have created ‘character playlists’ to help get in the mood,” Brewster said. “My own process includes creating a detailed character study: knowing where my character was in the moments before she walks on stage, her overall background and motivations, her family life, and her story that will affect the way that she behaves in the parts of her life that are portrayed onstage.”
For junior Tommy Anderson, speaking in a new accent is the hardest part.
“One challenge that’s exciting is honing the British dialect,” Anderson said. “Most characters in the show speak in a British accent, and that’s been both fun and challenging to work with.”
The play is about a man’s arrest and accusation of the murder of an older, wealthy woman. Themes in the play include justice, class and sexism, as it explores the relationships between the man and the woman who was murdered.
The men in the play deeply distrust foreigners and women, choosing instead to believe in what they think is their infallible justice system. This courtroom drama has a serious aspect to it, with some jokes intertwined to lighten the mood throughout the play.
“The show is very wordy and will have active listeners on the edge of their seats until the very last moments of the show – some of the best moments,” Brewster said.
With the countdown until opening night of “Witness For the Prosecution”, all the cast and crew members are excited to perform. All of their efforts will provide a transformative courtroom experience for the audience, acting as the jury to find out the truth about who killed the wealthy older woman.
