By Alice Besidski
The Drama Club recently performed their annual fall play on November 7th and 8th. This year, the club staged Nightfall with Edgar Allan Poe, a four-part production that brought some of Poe’s most iconic works, namely “The Raven,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” and “The Tell-Tale Heart.”
“The Raven” was the first play of the night, telling the story of a grieving man whose encounter with a relentless, ominous raven pushes him deeper into fear and loss. Multiple people narrated the story, which made for a very interesting watch.
My personal favorite was “The Fall of the House of Usher”, which follows a man visiting his childhood friend Roderick Usher, only to find the Usher home riddled with tension and decay. The two men entomb Roderick’s sister Madeline after her apparent death, but as the story builds to a climax, it is revealed that Madeline is not actually dead. The acting in this play was incredibly engaging, and the narrator’s confusion and gradual descent into hysteria kept me on edge throughout the entire performance.
“The Pit and the Pendulum” centers on a man fighting to survive a torture chamber designed to kill him. “It was really abstract but very interesting, the acting was amazing!” said Junior Zoya Bhandari.
“I really liked ‘The Tell-Tale Heart,” she continued. “The Tell-Tale Heart” showcased frantic energy and psychological collapse, dramatizing the main character, Edgar’s, unraveling guilt for murdering an old man, whose “eye” had driven him insane. This play closed out the night and was a very enjoyable watch.
“Our cast has developed so much in the past couple of years,” said junior Elena Lark, who acted as a narrator in “The Pit and the Pendulum”. “I am so proud of everything we’ve accomplished, and all of the friendships forged.”
This year also came with a significant change behind the scenes. Previously, the fall play was directed by chorus teacher Mr. DiGiovanni, but after he stepped down, English teacher Ms. Grant, who had co-directed in past years, took on the lead role.
Before the production, sophomore Julia Lamb said “I think the fall play is where the heart of the drama program lies. Of course, the change in leadership has been a huge upheaval, but we all have faith that Mrs. Grant will more than fill the void Mr. DiGiovanni left.”
After seeing the final result, it’s clear that Ms. Grant delivered. In my opinion, Nightfall with Edgar Allan Poe is one of the strongest fall productions the IHS Drama Club has put on in years.
Comments are closed.