The board game Clue has always had a dramatic flair.
After all, there's an unsolved murder, a handful of suspects and a mystery to solve.
Pemberton Secondary School's (PSS) drama program is taking all that action from the board to the stage with their year-end production of Clue, running from June 6 to 9.
"It's a murder mystery with multiple endings," says Renata Zablotney, drama teacher and director of the play. "I chose this play because I feel the characters are so iconic. The characters of Professor Plum, Ms. Peacock, Col. Mustard, they're wildly different and they have their specific personalities."
To that end, the distinct characters were a good match for her unique graduating class (most of whom snagged the lead roles). "They fit these characters to a T," she says. "They have so much drama and so much talent and energy and liveliness. They work with each other and work the stage so well. It's very entertaining."
The play is set at a dinner party with six guests, each of whom has been blackmailed into being there. A murder happens and they have to figure out who is behind it.
"It's very much a comedy," Zablotney says. "It has murder in it, but it's very slapstick. After a character dies they're definitely not out of the play... It's still a lot of work for those characters who die very quickly in the show."
Kieran Nott is only in Grade 9, but he managed to snag one of the main roles as the butler. "It's been pretty hard," he says. "I got the script very early, so I was able to memorize my lines while I was working on (the last PSS production) Aladdin. I was able to practice what I was doing so I was able to transition into (the new role)."
Jesse Abbott, who plays Mrs. White, is going into Grade 12 next year and has been part of around 11 PSS drama productions. She says the program has made a substantial impact on her life. (She's also joining Zablotney's adult Shakespeare program this summer in Pemberton.)
"Having something like this gave me joy and something to do after school," she says. "I was lost before; I didn't know what I wanted to be later on in life. I didn't know what my ambitions were. Now I have something to think about."
The production of Clue will take place at Pemberton Secondary School in the drama room. (The smaller space means limited tickets, Zablotney adds.)
Tickets are $10 at the school office.
"The play is shorter at 45 minutes," Zablotney says. "It's really entertaining in that time. All proceeds help us support our drama program and keep us running."
