Wildcat Theatre’s fall production lived up to its name, delivering three nights of laughs, chills and mystery to audiences at the Performing Arts Centre (PAC).
Bone Chiller, a three-act play written by Monk Ferris and performed by the students of William E. Hay Composite High School, ran from Nov. 27 to 29.
Director Darren Fleischhacker said the performances steadily improved over the three nights, so that by Saturday night, “the kids were just on fire.”
“It feels good to be done,” he said this week. “It was a fun ride, but I’m glad that it’s over.”
Fleischhacker estimated that about 450 people saw the play over three nights, noting that the PAC was nearly full for the final performance on Nov. 29.
The play tells the story of 13 people gathered for the reading of an unusual will, left by the wealthy eccentric Josiah Travers.
Reflecting his love of puzzles, the will is given in rebus form, and those gathered for the reading must attempt to decode it in order to determine his final wishes.
Travers’ life ended in gory fashion, and the will also offers some hints as to who was responsible for his murder.
Some of the more distinctive performers included Hannah McKay as the uptight lawyer Addie Sheridan, and Ryan Garbutt as the slow-moving butler Mauvins.
Dacia Gramlick played Zita Van Zok, a strange mystic who was not shy about using her magical powers to further her own ends.
In one scene she seemed to make flames appear out of thin air — a stunt achieved using flash paper, courtesy of the special effects department.
Aubrey Carl played Connie Travers, a niece of the deceased who is engaged to Jerry Delvin, a puzzle creator played by Alden Mueller.
David O’Donnell was also memorable as the carousing pediatrician Buzzy Burdett, while Schubert Hernando played the mysterious detective Dan Denton.
Erin Yaremcio and Jenny Meyer played the domestic helpers Lucretia and Pippi, respectively, while Jessa Heatherington and Mackenzie Sorensen acted in the roles of Kissy Travers and Flame Fondue.
Rounding out the extended family were Shayla Derr as Eloise Ainsley, and Taylor Marko as Theodosia Travers.
The play’s finale was a tour de force, as secret identities were revealed and the rebus was solved — only to have everything thrown into turmoil again, as two characters escaped with Josiah Travers’ wealth in a murderous rampage.
The performances were of an impressive calibre. In one instance, during Thursday’s show, the actors carried on professionally without skipping a beat after one character accidentally broke a glass by slamming it onto a countertop.
The crew included stage manager Baylee McMullen, assistant stage manager Kali Tulan, lighting technician Mark Bengert and sound technician Zach Desrosiers, while the “running crew” included Sara Lovell, Jessica Sweeting and Rebecca Rahn.
Set and prop painting were credited to Jefferson McClung and Keirstan Docherty, while Gord Goodrich oversaw construction of the set. Pat Hanson was the costume co-ordinator and Santana Scarff served as producer.
Fleischhacker said the drama department has other projects planned for the remainder of the school year, noting that he hopes to mount one of Shakespeare’s plays in the spring.
He spoke of his appreciation for the cast and crew, and said that the positive memories will live on for the students involved in the production.
“They’ll remember the people in the show, and what they did together,” he said. “I love what I get to do.”