A Mystery Worth Following: One Act’s The 39 Steps
Article written by CoHiScAn Staff member: Nicole Williams
8 actors and 30 characters.
Filled with suspense, comedy and unexpected twists, CHS’s theater department brought its One Act production of The 39 Steps to the stage. Based on the novel by John Buchan and turned into a comedic thriller, the play followed Richard Hannay as he became caught in a dangerous conspiracy and tries to uncover the truth. Through mistaken identities, escapes and fast paced scene changes, the cast and crew brought an action packed story to life. Their hard work paid off as the team won regionals and are advancing to the state competition, marking an exciting accomplishment for
the theater department.
Behind the scenes, the cast worked tirelessly to balance the play’s suspenseful storyline with its humor. With only eight actors portraying around 30 characters, the production required quick costume changes, specific characterizations and careful attention to timing.
Jake Secretan (9), who played multiple roles, explained the challenges of bringing each character to life. “It was a lot of work because of the diversity, because of the old people, for example, Mr. McQuarrie, and I also play Mr. Compère,” Secretan said when asked what it was like getting into character. Switching between roles required more than memorizing lines; actors had to develop different accents and speaking styles to make each character distinct.
Riley Connery (12) said “Playing multiple characters involved a lot of in-depth script analysis, because all of my characters have very different motives and intentions…the hardest part of this process was less the line-learning and more the getting into character for each role and accounting for all the moving parts within the show,” when asked what was the hardest part of her character process.
Crew members also played an important part in the production’s success. Zariah Lane (10), a member of set crew, responded “I think the turn out was very good, everyone worked
very hard and the play came along nicely” when asked how she thinks the turn out for the play will be. Amaya Gardner (11), a member of costume crew says, “Working on the production is rewarding because I'm allowed to see everyone's hard work pay off in the final show,” when asked how it feels to work on the production.
After winning regionals and earning the opportunity to compete at state, CHS’s theater department celebrated the success of The 39 Steps while looking ahead to its next production. The department plans to return to the stage in the spring with the musical Mean Girls, bringing a new story, fresh characters and another opportunity for students to showcase their talents. Following the suspense and comedy of The 39 Steps, the upcoming musical promised a different experience for audiences. Students and theater fans are encouraged to keep an eye out for announcements about auditions, performance dates and ticket information!
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