Cook and driver Ilana Shambo and Maialen Ayerra Arana.

Are you a fan of the TV series “Game of Thrones?” It is one of many spin-offs of the card game “Clue,” based on a parlor Game, Murder, patented by the British musician Anthony Pratt in 1944. The game’s premise is that a blackmailer invites six people, each with a dark secret, to his home. Upon arrival, each person is given a pseudonym and a weapon, and when the lights go out, the blackmailer is killed. The game is then to identify who did the deed.

Since its release in 1949, the rooms where the action takes place and the murder weapons have remained the same: a candlestick, a dagger, a lead pipe, a revolver, a rope, and a wrench. The card game also inspired two films and a play, which was performed to large audiences on March 21 and 22 by the Keene Central School Drama Club.

Keene Central senior Senna Pepe, who has performed in four school plays, came up with the idea of the Drama Club presenting Clue in November 2023 and pitched Brad Hurlburt on the idea of her directing the production for her senior project. Directing, and performing in a play, takes far more than students performing on stage as Pepe quickly learned and took on, it requires putting together a tech, lighting, and stage crew; getting sets designed and built, and a playbill put together; and all that requires reaching out to the art department and other aspects of the school.

“I like acting better than directing,” Pepe said. “Directing a play is a bit stressful because I have to know my lines and everyone else’s. I also had to plan all the choreography, pick out the music, and work with the crew on the sets. It was a lot, but it was a lot of fun. I learned how to manage time better, get things done quicker, and plan and incorporate everyone’s schedules.

Some people had sports, others had appointments, so it was hard to pull the production together in three weeks. I would love to continue acting and directing, but as I am going to college next year, I’ll have to wait and see what’s possible.”

Provided photos — Naj Wikoff Lauren Whitney with Teddy (Prof. Plumb) Rudow and Sam (Col. Mustard) Crowl.

Assisting Pepe were the Drama Club mentor, her assistant director, Brad Hurlburt, and new assistant director, music teacher Amy Nelson. Nelson came with plenty of experience performing in plays, but not so much on the directing and tech end, which for her was a bit like drinking from a fire hose as the production pulled together in three short weeks as so many student participants had been heavily involved in sports up to that point.

“Being an assistant director was great fun, and at times terrifying because there are so many ins and outs to presenting a play,” Nelson said.

“I can see why all the kids love Brad; with him, everything is good and OK. I learned that you have to roll with it and take deep breaths. It was a great learning experience.”

Lead actor Orra (Wadsworth) Sprague benefited from her and her parents, longtime friendship with Recovery Lounge founder, dramatist, and actor Scott Renderer.

“Ora wants to get into theater,” said her dad, Drew Sprague. “Ora jumped at the opportunity to take on the lead role. We didn’t help her much in learning her lines, she did most of it herself. Scott Renderer, a friend of ours, is her mentor, he helped her with the accent a little bit.”

Miss Scarlet and director Senna Pepe.

“I’ve worked with Ora for years and years,” said Scott Renderer. “I thought she did great; they all did. Community plays are fun, bring people together, and allow kids to express themselves. These plays provide opportunities for parents and the school to be proud of them.”

“I love theatre,” said Ora. “It can be difficult to learn your lines when you have so many, but it’s not that bad once you get into the show. Scott helped me find my character and speak with a British accent.”

Like Pepe Sprague, actors Cloe (Mrs. White), Ella (Mrs. Peacock), and Reagan (Yvette) Whitney benefited from having performed in previous Drama Club presentations.

“I got my script a couple of months ago, but it was in the last three weeks that I worked on and got my lines down,” said senior Ella Whitney. “My sister Reagan is also in the play, and we helped each other. I’m not planning a career as an actor, but in college, I may join an acting club as theatre is fun.”

Like many I spoke with, junior Lianna Shambo, who played the cook and second to die in the play, said that acting in the play with her classmates and friends was fun and praised Brad Hurlburt for his coaching and support. Several said that Clue was their favorite play they’ve performed in and that being in a play deepened their friendships.

Ella and Reagan Whitney flanking their parents Josh and Kate Whitney.

“I get to see students that I teach reveal their hidden talents; that’s what I love about helping them direct, organize, and perform in plays,” said global studies and soccer coach Brad Hurlburt. “They may not like social studies and history, but I find out they have had perhaps twelve years of dance training, or they were the lead in Matilda when they were five or six. They have so many talents that I’d never learn about if I did not work with them on plays. I get to see a whole other side of them. That’s a real privilege.”

“Participating in plays requires a tremendous amount of trust as you have to depend on others, on your cast and crew mates, whether it is delivering you the right lines, catching you, or bringing out the piece you need for your performance,” said Hurlburt. So, it requires a lot of trust and learning forms of nonverbal communication such as between the crew members moving the sets around.”

A neat feature they added was having the actors dance, run, or search on the front of the stage while the crew moved sets behind them, enabling the play to continue without any blackouts. The benefit is that the set crew wasn’t moving pieces about in the dark, and shifting the sets became part of the performance. To that end, Hurlburt, Senna Pepe, and others all praised and thanked Brian Crowl for his help in constructing many of the sets.

Hurlburt hopes that students will continue to be willing to step up and serve as directors, as they have over the past several years.

“I want students to continue having as much ownership of our plays as possible through taking the lead as directors, designing and building sets, posters, and the music selected for the plays,” said Hurlburt.

At left, Brad and Willa Hurlburt, who mentored the students and co-directed the play.

Drew Sprague and Annie Stoltie with their daughter, lead actor Orra (Wadsworth) Sprague

Pete and Amy Nelson, who co-directed her first KCS play.