Morro Bay High School’s Theatre Arts Program, headed by Ms. Eben, hosted auditions for its upcoming play, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. The play, which is both a drama and a mystery story, will be playing November 8th, 9th, and 10th with Jack Vogel and Marisa Dinsmoor in the leads. Until then, actors will be rehearse two times a week for two and a half hours each.
The play will have a cast of small cast with five girls and five boys. Jack Vogel is starring in the role of Christopher. In this part, he will be playing a teenage boy who feels that he does not quite fit in with others. His sensory issues mean that he interacts with the world around him differently than those around him. The story will chronicle his journey as he solves a mystery and learns more about himself. In an interview with Ms. Eben conducted by Josephine Dewey, she said “[The play is] contemporary. I thought it would be interesting subject for student to explore. It explores difficult topics and is very modern. Very important subject matter.”
Ms. Eben also had a lot to say about her experiences with auditions. “I’ve seen a lot of talent at auditions so I’m not worried about people auditioning.” She also shared that choosing actors is not her favorite part of the Theatre Arts Program because of the stress that it causes her, explaining that “knowing you made the right choice is difficult, once casting happens you can’t go back.” For auditions, Ms. Eben said that she is “willing to work with people who don’t have experience. Potential actors don’t need to prepare for auditions as much since it is not a musical…[there is] no singing because it is not a musical. The show will be a drama.”
Between auditions and the performance, the Theatre Arts Program will have a total of eight weeks to perfect their part. To do this, “We will be in rehearsals now until November 2,” says Eben. “We will practice two times a week.” Rehearsals will last two and a half hours each. If a student has a conflict with their schedule due to sports, rehearsals can be tailored to fit each individual’s needs. Actors can fill out a form to address scheduling conflicts.
In the past, the Theatre Arts Program has performed Little Shop of Horrors and Check Please. Both taking place last year, these two productions were very different. Little Shop of Horrors was an adaptation of the 1986 film, which is a mix of fantasy, horror, and dark comedy. Check Please, on the other hand, was a comedic production that followed a series of blind dates in a series of two one-act plays.
The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night-Time will also be something new. Progressing in a non-linear fashion, this means that the events will be told out of order, allowing for a unique form of storytelling. On talking about how actors will prepare for their part, Ms. Eben said that “It’s a smaller scale play than a musical, so we will mainly be working on memorising lines and working on blocking. Character work and research will also be super important.” Students can look forward to seeing this production soon.
