The Rochelle Township High School Theater Company will present its spring play, “My Son is Crazy – But Promising” by Tim Kelly, from Thursday to Saturday, April 16-18, with all shows at 7:30 p.m. in the RTHS Auditorium.
Tickets are $3 for adults and $2 for students.
The show is about a young screenwriter in Hollywood who buys a small hotel in Arizona next to a goldmine. The hotel has several permanent residents, including a foreign spy, an FBI agent, and a woman waiting for the return of aliens who once abducted her.
Others come to stay, including a mobster and his fiance, newlyweds expecting a swanky hotel, and the screenwriter’s mother and ex-producer. Other characters include the hotel’s current owner and a bumbling sheriff. The comedy show includes roller skates, a suspicious explosion and a lottery ticket.
“It’s a fun one,” RTHS senior Bobbie Henning said. “It’s not a play that I’d ever heard of before. This show is out there. There’s a lot of crazy stuff that happens. It’s very zany. One of the characters says at the end, ‘If you were to make this up for a script, no one would believe that it’s even plausible.’ The script itself is pretty implausible.”
The cast includes Austin J. Cruz as Dimitri Jones/Larry Lime, Abby Jamison as Susan Claypool, Kathryn Groves as Sheriff Bates, Kayla Manarchy as Gert Witherspoon, Sophia Stein as Cora Ames, Derek Swartz as Bud Granger, Julian Groves as Arthur Whitney, Yana Bartkiv as June Whitney, Daphne Wise as Tilly Granger, Henning as Oysters Rockefeller, Sophia Losoya as Chi-Chi Vazoom, Kayce Lundgren as Fay Armstrong, and Savanna Elshoff as Karen Russell.
The crew is made up of Stage Manager Barbara Palmer, Lighting Crew Chair Lydia LeFevre and Sound Crew Chair Alexander Truckenbrod with Molly Kedzie in charge of set crew and Savannah Elshoff in charge of costumes and props.
“I wanted a show with a lot of characters so we didn’t necessarily have five actors that had to be here rehearsing every day,” RTHS Theater Director Betsie Swartz said. “We have three main characters who are in almost every scene. We also have a lot of really amazing crew that will be integral in making sure things happen at the right time during performances. It’s amazing that they’re willing to put in that time and energy behind the scenes.”
Swartz said she chose “My Son is Crazy – But Promising” to have a fun show for the cast, crew and audiences. She’s excited for the community to see the hard work that students have put in, and she hopes more students will see it and decide to join RTHS Theater next year.
“If people know the word ‘farce’, that’s how the play is described,” Swartz said. “There’s lots of quick action and a lot of characters and the situations just get increasingly absurd. I hope people will come and enjoy the result of the work that these students have done and have an evening of silliness and laughter.”
The show will be Henning’s final as an RTHS student after participating in theater for four years. She’s excited to perform in a comedy in her final show but said the feeling of preparing for it has been “bittersweet.”
Henning has seen her acting skills grow over four years, improving with accents and depth she can give her characters while performing in plays ranging from dramatic to absurd.
“I enjoy theater at RTHS because of the experience of being on stage and seeing the impact I have in the community,” Henning said. “I was the jester for Madrigals this year. I’ve had kids come up to me afterwards and ask if I’m the jester. They come to plays and band and choir concerts just to see me. Seeing that impact and that inspiration I’ve given them really warms my heart.”
Swartz said being part of RTHS Theater helps students to become more comfortable with public speaking, which they’ll need later on in their careers and lives. She hopes students gain confidence and the ability to advocate for themselves as they enter the workforce.
This has been Swartz’s first year as RTHS Theater director. She’s enjoyed watching students build skills and grow on stage.
“There’s something really special about creating theater, because it only exists for a short period of time,” Swartz said. “The people you get to create it with are very special. You have a different type of relationship with those people. It’s hard to see our seniors get to their final show. It’s been such a privilege to work with our seniors and they will be missed. I’m very thankful for the leadership we have with our upperclassmen. They’ve been excellent with setting the tone and culture and how we do things here. They will leave big shoes to fill.”