By MALLORY PARUSZEWSKI
Senior Reporter
“Blithe Spirit,” a Noel Coward comedy first produced in 1941, is coming to Herod Hall next week.
The performances are student directed and produced. Lisa Turner, student director, is in charge of the production.
With performances are Feb. 22-23, at 7 p.m. and Feb. 24 at 2 p.m. General admission is $10, NWOSU employees and senior citizens are $5 and students $3.
“Blithe Spirit” is about a novelist, Charles Condomine, who has remarried but ends up being haunted by the ghost of his first wife, Elvira. The eccentric Madame Arcati, also known as the “happy medium,” calls upon Elvira to inform her of Charles shortcomings.
Later on, Condomine’s current wife, Ruth, is accidentally killed and passes over to join Elvira. The two spirits then haunt Charles into perpetuity.
Speech and theater major Lisa Turner, is directing this play as her senior capstone project.
A senior capstone is a production in which senior students will plan the entire thing. The students combine their knowledge from directing, production, lighting and scenic class and create a play as their own. Seniors need this capstone to graduate; it is like one big final.
Turner said she has been working on this play since her junior year, and over the summer of 2023, she finalized her decisions on what she wanted in her play.
She designed the lighting, chose what set fit the play, planned practice time and handpicked her actors to play each role.
Still, as a student, her decisions had to be approved by Professor of Theatre Arts Kimberly Weast and Director of Technical Theatre Mickey Jordan.
“Majority of it is my show,” Turner said. “I take the reins and go forth.”
Seven people are in the cast: Alan Garcia plays Charles Condomine. Kylee Harzman plays Ruth Condomine with Jaden Matthews as Elvira, Archer Bohlen as Dr. George Bradman, Jade Campbell as Violet Bradman, Gail Schroeder as Madame Arcati and Maegan Holson as Edith.
Garcia, also a senior, said that he expects the first night of the performance to be the most difficult.
If it is done right, then the audience will tell friends and family and hopefully more people will come the following show days.
“In my opinion, opening night is the night to try and knock their socks off,” Garcia said.
