Date posted: 4-5-01

Editors: You are encouraged to use this story in your publication. Please credit the author and DeKalb News Service as shown. And, please send two tearsheets to: Jim Killam, Department of Communication, Watson Hall, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115.

Elaborate set stars in Hiawatha play

By LeAnna Hart

DeKalb News Service

KIRKLAND -- The cast of Hiawatha High School's spring play takes second billing to the set.

Hammering and electric saws overpower the voices of the actors as they try to rehearse the first scene of "Any Number Can Die," a comedy-mystery by Fred Carmichael. Crew members walk across the stage in the middle of the scene to adjust a piece of scenery or to find a specific size board. These are common occurrences that the cast has become accustomed to.

"Any Number Can Die" is a take-off of late 1920s mystery plays. After the death of the reclusive Cedric Russell, his nieces Celia Lathrop and Sally VanViller come to a deserted island off the coast of North Carolina to hear the midnight reading of his will. The eccentric characters and unexpected guests experience an unforgettable night on the island, at least those characters that live through the night.

The play's performances will be at 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday, April 20 and 21, in the Hiawatha High School auditorium.

The show, set in a run-down mansion called Raven's Head, requires one of the most complicated sets Hiawatha has ever constructed. Students and fathers have spent countless hours during the last two weeks turning the stage into the mysterious living room of the mansion.

To the untrained eye the set looks simple, even in its beginning stages. But when given a closer look, secrets can be found hidden within the three main walls that have been erected. French doors, a bookcase and a fireplace have been installed. Sliding doors, hidden windows and secret passages have been created and concealed.

The set will be an asset to the storyline, but junior cast member April Lillstrom found it to be intimidating.

"Nothing is what it is," she said "It's stressful."

Director Diane Parness and technical director Jennifer Hadick are giving a lot of credit to a few parents for making the set a reality.

"We wouldn't have been able to do this without Jim Blackmer, Dan Hart and Mark Thurlby," Hadick said. "The technical ability and imagination of Jim and Dan, taking my plans and bringing them to life, is amazing. Mark Thurlby is helping with the electrical wiring for the lights."

"It really takes creative insight," Parness said. "These fathers are given a problem and they are able to come up with ways to make it happen."

The fathers spend their free time and days off perfecting their creations. They are hard at work in the auditorium while the students are in class and even on weekends when they are able to get into the school.

Dan Hart found the set challenging, but didn't think it hard to create.

"After 10 years of doing plays it all adds up and you figure out what you can and can't do," he said. "I've helped with close to 15 plays at Hiawatha."

Blackmer and Hart also worked with Tom Bailey and Denny Rehn to construct a light and sound booth in the back of the auditorium for the technical equipment. This room was designed to give the light and sound crew the ability to communicate with the backstage crew without interrupting the audience's enjoyment of the show. It also will provide a secure place to store equipment. The enclosed room in the center section of the auditorium is near completion.

The majority of the set work takes place before and after cast rehearsals. One Wednesday night found 15 students, Hadick and Hart preparing to pick up where they left off the previous evening. Everyone is assigned a job in an attempt to get more work completed. Painting is on the agenda for this night. As the group separates, each student goes to work on their task. The auditorium is filled with voices as the students discuss their plans of attack.

The cast appreciates the hard work that is going into the set.

"The set is the show," said sophomore David Mowers. "If we didn't have the secret panels, we wouldn't have the show."

"We're just the actors," said Tabby Becker, a senior. "We aren't good at the technical stuff. We have to appreciate the techies."

Source list:
· (Diane Parness, director, 522-3335)
· (Jennifer Hadick, technical director, 522-3335)
· (Dan Hart, father/set constructor)
· (April Lillstrom, student actor)
· (David Mowers, student actor)
· (Tabby Becker, student actor)