Despite COVID-19, The Show Must Go On at the Franke Center

Was it Col. Mustard with the candlestick in the library.....or was it Mrs. Peacock with the revolver on Zoom?     More like the second, with the COVID-19 pandemic wiping out live theater for now.  The creative minds at the Franke Center for the Arts in Marshall, which includes Executive Director Jacob Gates and Creative Director Jennifer Darling, have come up with a way for high school students to "stage" a show  on Zoom.

Darling, the show’s director said, “We’ve turned a stage play into a movie! We shot it on Zoom, recorded and edited it together, complete with costumes, green screens, virtual backgrounds, music and sound cues! On behalf of our cast and production team, we cannot wait to share this with everyone!” Darling says she sent the parts and pieces to an editing wizard friend in New York.

So, starting Thursday night, June 4th, you're invited to join a watch party of The Franke Center’s production of CLUE, based on the board game and film.   It'll continue for performances on Friday June 5th and  Saturday June 6th. Each performance will begin at 7pm and can be watched from the comfort of your home.  Those who purchase tickets will be emailed a special link, which will allow them to stream the play online.

The show’s talented 9^th through 12^th grade cast represents both Michigan and Indiana. They are: Wadsworth, Linda Young; Colonel Mustard, Miles Kuharic; Professor Plum, Paul Butterfield; Mr. Green, Remee Morse; Yvette, Jenna Rissi; Miss Scarlet, Erin Bucienski; Mrs. Peacock, Ella Bright; Mrs. White, Elena Stolberg; Mr. Boddy, Shannon Barba; The Cook, Makayla Bailey; The “Broken Down Car” Cop, Sofia Casey; The Motorist, Violet Holbrook; Singing Telegram Girl, Elliana Ebner; Chief Of Police, Miriam Brownell; Policeman/McCarthy, Cooper Bain; Policeman/Newscaster, Aiden Saunders.

Tickets to view the watch party are available on www.TheFranke.org. $15 per household.