The FHN Drama Club went to Lindenwood University yesterday to see the production of “Noises Off” for their first field trip of the year. There were about 30 attendees, including about seven new members. The group left school around 9 a.m. and returned 10 minutes after dismissal. Due to the later date of the fall play, the group decided to hold its first field trip later in the year to correspond with the production of the Lindenwood plays.
“We pushed the fall play dates back, so we started the year late as a whole,” Drama Club President Brittany Steck said. “Lindenwood is performing, so we followed their dates [for the field trip].”
Around 10 a.m., Drama Club members visited Lindenwood’s Bezemes Family Theater to watch the a dress rehearsal of “Noises Off.” Labeled as “a festival of delirium,” by the “New York Times”, “Noises Off” is essentially a play about the production of a play. Act one of the play depicts the final dress rehearsal of a play, act two shows the opening act of the play from backstage, and act three shows the play from the perspective of the audience.
“I’d always wanted to see the play because it is so unique,” junior Stone Birkner said. “My favorite part of the play was getting to see the people backstage and to see how crazy they got.”
While the field trip was an opportunity for students to enjoy a play, it was also a learning experience and a preview into college acting. Drama Club members were able to study the college actors to glean valuable techniques to experiment with in their own acting, as well as ways to improve their acting skills.
“I learned that you have to keep your accents straight,” senior Mallory Echelmeyer said. “I would definitely also try to use body language more often to convey meaning and being more active in everything.”
As well as an insight to higher level acting techniques, the first field trip provided a positive bonding experience for the Drama Club members.
“It’s just a really mind blowing experience to see the level of talent that can be in this community,” Echelmeyer said.
