The MFS Theater Play, “Clue,” which ran from March 13-14, marked a shift from the pace of traditional productions towards a more intensive, rigorous schedule for both actors and tech crew members.

“Clue,” a comedy designed by Upper School Drama Director and Theater Instructor Holli Kitching, was inspired by the movie Clue. The movie is based on the “Clue” board game, where characters attempt to figure out who the murderer is, where the murder was committed, and what weapon was used.

“There [are many] different rooms, and in the board game, when you play, you’re supposed to identify who the murderer is, what the weapon is, and where it took place,” said Kitching. “So, in this play, there are a ton of different locations. We’re constantly trying to move set pieces around, and there’s a lot of technical movement that goes on on the stage.”

E’lon Rodwell-Simon ’28, a stage manager for “Clue,” was responsible for directing the stagehands to ensure that scene changes ran smoothly. 

“The tech crew [has had] a larger role this year. In previous shows, we would’ve had stagehands waiting in the sidelines to do something because there’s not a need for everyone to be doing something, but this year, every single scene require[d] a member of the crew to be moving something on or off stage,” said Rodwell-Simon. “It’s all because of the number of rooms in ‘Clue.’”

In addition to the changes that members of the tech crew had to make to adapt to the rotating six-room mansion set-up, the actors also had to change techniques to stick to their character roles for longer periods of time.

“We ha[d] to make do with the show we ha[d] which [was] designed for a smaller cast, but I do think that the fact that there [were] mostly leads and the leads [were] the focus of the show is harder than usual for everybody because the leads ha[d] to be onstage for basically the entire show and people who [weren’t] leads [didn’t] get a lot of stage time,” explained Sanaa Rodwell-Simon ’28, who played Mrs. Peacock in “Clue.”

Kitching also pointed out the fast-paced nature of “Clue” that the actors had to adjust to. “This particular type of play is a farce comedy, and so even though it’s a murder mystery, it’s supposed to be really funny. So, there [were] very dramatic over-the-top moments. The dialogue moves really quickly.”

Because of the increased stage time for many actors, memorization of lines for the whole play was key.

“It [was] more difficult because you [couldn’t] review your lines beforehand,” said Jason Lin ’27, who played Mr. Boddy. “You ha[d] to know all the cues ahead of time.”

Trent Iacono ’28, who played the role of Colonel Mustard, added that when acting in a comedy, the “expression always has to be taken up to the max, even more so than regular acting. People are always going to be watching you, so you want your expressions and physical movements to be funny … to amplify the moment and add more community value.”