Fleet-footed farce coming soon: 'Noises Off' to hit the Redmond High stage

The Redmond High School Drama Department presents the classic farce “Noises Off” at 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 6-8 and Nov. 13-15 in the RHS Performing Arts Center, 17272 NE 104th St.

Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, available online at www.redmonddrama.org or at the door.

“Noises Off” is a “play within a play” about a theater company, progressing from a dress rehearsal for a comedy called “Nothing On” to performances that the audience sees from backstage as well as out-front. The term “Noises Off” refers to sounds meant to originate offstage.

“And that’s where the real drama takes place,” explained RHS theater arts teacher and “Noises Off” director Misty Carson.

“There are nine people in the show,” said Carson. “As with all good comedy, you have some straight men who set up the jokes for everybody else. You need impeccable timing to pull it off. There really are no stars in this show. It is a real ensemble cast.”

Catlin McCartney explained that she plays Belinda and Flavia. “Belinda is the actress, Flavia is the character,” she noted.

“Belinda is the emotional cheerleader, like the cast mom who checks on everyone and knows all the gossip. Flavia is more wealthy and refined.”

Jason Tillman said he plays Frederick, Phillip and the Sheik. Frederick, an actor, is “a dim-witted, caring pacifist, oblivious to what’s going on around him. He tries to understand everyone ... .”

“Much to the chagrin of the director,” Carson interjected. “Not me, the director, but the director within the play.”

That director’s name is Lloyd and he is played by Thomas Moore. “Lloyd views himself as the only competent person on the planet,” Moore commented.

He has no patience or compassion for those who don’t measure up to his standards, he added.

In addition to the witty banter between characters, a special feature for this production is a student-built set that’s 16 feet tall and rotates 180 degrees for lightning-fast switches behind the onstage and behind-the-scenes mayhem.

Carson said students in her theater tech class range from those who took woodshop in junior high to some who’ve done building projects at home and others who’ve never built anything before. “With all the doors and stairs, it’s been a real learning curve,” she said.

Stacy Church, lighting designer for “Noises Off” said the quick pace of the scene changes will definitely keep her on her toes. The same goes for props master Sophie Toma, who explained, “Everyone touches every prop and goes through every door.”

Those props include such disjointed items as sardines and an axe.

We asked the students what they thought would attract their peers to a performance of “Noises Off.”

Well, several characters run around in their underwear, they admitted.

Carson laughed and rolled her eyes, promising that you’ll see nothing you wouldn’t see at a swimming pool. But she also stated that due to some mature language, she’d recommend the show for patrons 13 and older.

Moore said he’s told friends that the show is “relatable to high school — there are a lot of messed-up relationships in high school. It’s good to know adults have that, too. It doesn’t get any easier.”

Carson pointed out that she wanted to challenge her young actors.

“Farce is always difficult to deal with, because of all the mistaken identity and timing. ... This is a little Monty Python, a little Marx Brothers, not what you’d expect a high school drama to be.”

Redmond Reporter Reporter Mary Stevens Decker can be reached at mdecker@redmond-reporter.com or (425) 867-0353, ext. 5052.

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