Theatre Centreville will be performing two shows this fall, one on the main stage and one for the Virginia Theatre Association. The VTA show, “Bang Bang Your Dead,” was judged against numerous other school plays from around the state, with a winner from each pool advancing to compete for overall first prize. The show is a drama, which depicts the aftermath of a school shooting, through the eyes of the shooter. The main stage production, “Wild Oats,” is a parody of western lifestyle and is a stark contrast to the dramatic, darker “Bang, Bang, You’re Dead.”
“Wild Oats” focuses on the plot of a character named Harry, (played by junior P.J. Rechter who has just been kicked out of West Point. His goal in life is to be an actor, a profession which is not held in high regard in the eyes of his father or the western community in which he came from. Confusion occurs when his identity is mistaken, leading to various plot twists and deception throughout the show. Junior Andrew Kaberline who plays Harry’s butler in the play calls the show, “hilarious” and adds, “The main theme is to not be deceived. Everyone and everything is mistaken for something else the entire time.” Added Kaberline, “Our goal is to pull of the show with the best comedic timing possible.”
“Bang, Bang, You’re Dead,” a play which follows the aftermath in a school shooting as the shooter is haunted by the five victims, is a much more serious and dramatic show than “Wild Oats.” The main challenge in the show is the ability of the cast, as a whole, to fully live their part, in order to achieve the desired dramatic effect. The cast, which includes senior Charlie Schneider and junior Mike Puckett, travelled to Richmond, Va. on Thursday, Nov.1, to compete against schools from around the state. Commenting on the VTA convention, Kaberline adds, “It’s like a comic book convention, only less nerdy with a much larger female population in attendance.”
Although both shows are uneasy to pull off successfully, cast members of both shows remain confident in their acting abilities. “Despite the high degree of difficulty of both shows, I feel that both casts can put on superb performances,” says junior Jeff Stein.