This year, Oviedo’s drama department’s first show is “The Haunting of Hill House,” which follows a dysfunctional family being haunted by the house they live in. The show can be seen on Nov. 9 and Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. and on Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Faculty will get in for free, students must pay $5, and adults must pay $7.
One of the difficulties with the show is the fact that it deals with the psychology of its characters. This makes it more difficult for actors to accurately portray the show. Since the performance depends on how it is received by its audience, actors may find it difficult to collaborate due to their different interpretations of a given scene.
“We have to go back and re-do things almost every day,” Director Timothy Carter said. “We’re always making new discoveries about who a character is, who they know, who they trust, who’s their friend and who’s their enemy, and who they trust. It’s a very intense and in-depth show.”
Even though there is a small cast, because the show is so complex, it requires three months of rehearsing. Auditions were held in August and rehearsals started as soon as the cast was released. Rehearsals are every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 2:30-4:30 after school. Alongside rehearsals, actors must also work on their characters at home.
The actors must spend time learning how their characters would function in high-stress scenarios. Part of “The Haunting of Hill House” is characters with complex relationships, which means that actors must work closely together for an authentic performance.
“Actors need to work together, so they can connect to each other in a more authentic way,” senior Kirby Ferraro said.
Mallory • Mar 7, 2024 at 4:11 PM
I really enjoy the psychological aspect of the show, and it’s interesting to hear how the cast and crew went about it. It seems like they took a more character-based approach to the acting which is very interesting. I enjoyed the details given about the process, from auditions to rehearsals to opening the show.