Do you ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes of a play?
Well, that is exactly what the hysterical play, Noises Off is all about! The show is a farce written by English playwright Michael Frayn and is our last main stage show for this season at St. Ambrose University. It is a play within a play performed in three acts.
Act One takes place only hours before the opening of an adult British farce called Nothing On, and the cast and crew are hurriedly running through a final dress rehearsal. They try to pull everything together to have some sort of show to present to their incoming audience.
In Act Two, the entire set (which has two floors) has been flipped around so that the audience is watching what is taking place backstage during their production. The company of Nothing On has been touring for a month now and relationships are being tested among the cast members. The stage manager is trying to keep one of the actors from getting drunk between scenes, two of the actors are in the middle of a lover's quarrel, and the director must come backstage to save his play. All of these factors put the cast and crew in a constant state of agitation which causes flubbed lines, missed entrances and a lot of hilarity to ensue.
Finally, in Act Three, the scenery has been flipped around again and it is another month later. The show has completely fallen apart. The actors are playing practical jokes on stage, scenery is collapsing and props are lost. They must try to solve all these problems throughout the show whilst staying in character.
Noises Off is sure to be a lot of fun. It will be directed by professor Daniel Rairdin-Hale. He first saw the show as a student on a trip to London with the SAU theatre department. He has been enamored with the script ever since.
"Slamming doors, sardines, backstage mayhem, this play has everything," Rairdin-Hale said. "I'm really excited to work on the slapstick and physical comedy with the cast."
CAST
Lloyd - Jackson Green '17
Gary (Roger) - Sam Jones '17
Frederick (Philip) - Jordan Webster-Moore '17
Selsdon (Burglar) - Nevada Nilsson '18
Tim - Max Moline '17
Dotty (Mrs. Clackett) - Becca Brazel '16
Brooke (Vicki) - Madison Auge '17
Belinda (Flavia) - Kayla Lansing '18
Poppy - Amelia Fischer '16
Performances will be Friday, April 15 and Saturday, April 16 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 17 at 3 p.m. Reserve tickets by visiting www.sau.edu/Galvin or calling the Galvin Box Office at (563) 333-6251.
Come see this incredibly hilarious show! As director Daniel Rairdin-Hale says, "It should be a hoot... and a half!"
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