The 27-student cast and crew of The Last Illusion at Delhi District Secondary School opened the first of four performances Monday night just two hours after completing the dress rehearsal, which had been postponed from Friday due to weather.
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“We’re just going with the flow,” said Victoria Price, who plays the role of world-famous escape artist and stunt performer Harry Houdini (1874-1926). “We didn’t get to do (dress rehearsal) on Friday, which was kind of disappointing.”
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“It’s been quite hectic because we’re down a gym space,” said Adelia Mirie Njeri (Bess Houdini) after Monday’s rehearsal, which had started with a volleyball practice on the other side of the gymnasium, “and this is our only time. ”
Space is an issue, said DDSS teacher Jenna Thompson, manager and director of the drama class play. “We’re busting at the seams here. We need more space, but the phys-ed department has been phenomenal sharing it with us.”
Old sound and light systems also provided a challenge, but Thompson said they did really well with what they have. Next year, with anticipated funding, they expect to have new sound and light systems.
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“We only have seven mics right now – today we only had six working. That’s a challenge.”
“We’re also down a person,” said Matthew Schotsch, who as Martin Beck, Harry’s booking agent, carries the story forward as narrator, building suspense.
“It was very hard… not easy,” said Schotsch, who had some of the most lines.
“There were pages and pages worth of lines,” agreed Price.
The Last Illusion, by B. Dwayne Craft, which follows the life and death of The Great Harry Houdini, focuses on his final escape – the fateful water tank (behind a tarp) – coming back to it again and again between scenes as a suspenseful clock ticks away – 30 seconds, one minute, three minutes…
“It’s kind of like a biography,” said Price. “The lights, the props and the tricks make it really interesting because you don’t usually see magic tricks actually get performed in a play – a high school play.”
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“It’s the magic tricks,” Schotsch agreed. “And the costumes, they’re all very nice.”
“All very different,” agreed Mirie Njeri.
The Last Illusion will be performed again Wednesday at 7 pm for the community. The public is welcome. They are also doing two shows for Grade 6-8 feeder-school students Wednesday and Thursday.
“I’m hoping that they love it because it’s been a lot of stress,” Price smiled.
“We really want everyone to enjoy it because it’s a great play,” said Mirie Njeri.
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For some of the student actors, it’s their second performance, said Mirie Njeri, but it’s their first as a split Grade 10-11 drama class.
“And we have a drama club, so there is another production coming up in March,” Price noted. “That’s for competition in Brantford.”
The plans are to enter AI Play by Don Zolidis, in the National Theater School’s Dramafest competition.
“It’s a comedy,” said Mirie Njeri.
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