Bellefonte Area High School is back at it with the drama. This fall, the Drama Club will work together to rehearse and perform the play, “A Murder is Announced,” based on the Agatha Christie murder mystery novel by the same name.

Preparing for the production will entail long hours and hard work. 

 “We rehearse four days a week after school for two hours. We began rehearsals last week and will have six weeks of rehearsals before we present the production,” Choir and Theatre Director Mr. Eric Brinser said. 

Mr. Brinser has been teaching for 20 years, with 7 of those being here in Bellefonte. For this production there is a cast of 16 students and a crew of 17. 

“When we were working on the casting for the show, we had decided to do a double cast of actors so that way we had understudies in the situation that a cast member had been contact traced or quarantined,” senior Jace Beauton said. 

The pandemic has already had a significant impact on the Drama Club both last year and in the beginning of this season, which has inspired extra precautions such as the double cast. 

“COVID-19 has impacted the Drama Club immensely this year,” Jace said. 

As of now and the future the cast members will be wearing masks.

 “Last year we were confined to doing small singular scenes from various shows, four in the fall and four in the spring, and recording them, but this year we will be hopefully performing for an audience,” Jace said.  

Jace is president of the Drama Club and the student director of the fall play. He has high expectations of success going into this season’s performance.

“I know myself and many of the actors are antsy to be back on stage and ready to give an amazing performance,” Jace said. 

The twisty mystery, “A Murder is Announced,” follows the investigation of an announced death at Little Paddocks on October 29, at 6:30 p.m. 

You can find the full cast list by visiting the Drama Department’s website on the Bellefonte High webpage, https://www.basd.net/Domain/86.