By: Jacinda Fordjour

Mt. Hebron’s theater students have begun to prepare for the fall play, ‘Arsenic and Old Lace.’ The stage plans to light up Nov. 17-20. 

Arsenic and Old Lace is a 1944 comedy/crime film directed by Frank Capra. It is about the two aunts of Mortimer Brewster who are seen as kind and caring old ladies, but behind closed doors, the pair are serial killers. 

Mt. Hebron theater teacher and director of the play Kathryn Carlson says the fall production will have a plot twist, and the audience will have quite a laugh about it.

“This play is a dark comedy which means that it is first and foremost a comedy, but it has a murderous twist,” says Ms. Carlson.

Mt. Hebron Senior Erin Bice will be starring as Abby Brewster. Bice describes her character as genuine, with good intentions but terrible outcomes.

“I think [Abby Brewster] has very good intentions…she does some things that are a little not great, but she doesn’t see them that way, she sees them as good things, even though they are clearly not,” says Bice.

Stepping up onto the stage and portraying a different person takes much preparation and dedication. Bice tells how she prepared for her role and learned how to bring Abby Brewster past the television screen. 

“I did a ton of research on the character and the show, I read the script through a couple of times and watched some videos online of other people performing [Arsenic and Old Lace] to take my own interpretation,” said Bice

The cast and crew have started working diligently to produce an amazing play for the students of Mt. Hebron and the community. Many of the students have been attending in-school as well as after-school rehearsals to complete Arsenic and Old Lace. 

Mt. Hebron senior Sydney Scanlon, starring as Martha Brewster, says all the added stress is worth it.

“We are rehearsing after school, and I do other activities, so I kinda go back to back, but in the end, it’s worth it, because it’s just a lot of fun,” says Scanlon.

Scanlon says the play should be appreciating of students because of the comedy and interactions between cast members

“…Looking at it from the outside it is kind of a dark theme because it is about murder but it really is a comedy and within the cast list there are a lot of great people who play off of each other well so I think Mt. Hebron students will enjoy it.” says Scanlon. 

Although this play has a murderous theme, Scanlon says there may be a message beyond for the audience to look deep at.

“I think the message would be things aren’t always as they seem, and sometimes you have to look closely to see the full story rather than just the cover of the book,” says Scanlon.

 The Mt. Hebron theater classes will be ready to perform this play in less than a month, so keep an eye out for any information regarding Arsenic and Old Lace.