Franklin Regional Thespians share world premiere of new play, 'Elsewhere'

Members of the Franklin Regional Thespians typically have a good deal of reference material when they’re looking for ideas about how to stage a play or present a character.

As the group prepares to perform “Elsewhere” later this month, that material is nowhere to be found.

That’s because they are one of more than a dozen high-school acting troupes across the country that are helping to premiere the latest work by Wisconsin playwright Don Zolidis.

“This is the first time I’ve done a pilot program, where a number of schools are working on the same play at the same time,” said Zolidis, 47. “The play is pretty complicated. I wanted to make sure to get it exactly right, and it’s extremely valuable to get insight from actors and directors who are working on the show.”

The Franklin Regional Thespians are performing the show Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

The play is about four female boarding-school students in New Hampshire, who break into what they think is a haunted house, only to be transported to magical world where the face adventures as well as trauma from their past.

Zolidis held a Zoom meeting with the cast and crew earlier this fall, and said he’s planning to reach out again after the production to get notes.

For senior and student director Celia Bayer, it’s a welcome challenge.

“There’s so much that goes on between the actors, the stage crew, sets and design,” said Bayer, 18, of Murrysville. “And as student director, you get to see it all come together.”

For director and Thespians adviser Richard Sunny, talking with Zolidis was an immense help.

“He didn’t tell us what to do,” Sunny said. “He said, ‘This is where it’s going,’ and left a lot of it up to us.”

Similar to Bayer, Sunny said laying the groundwork is tough without any reference material, but it also offers opportunities.

“We get to interpret how we should stage it, and then maybe we can serve as that reference when people down the line are wondering, ‘How did other people stage this?’” he said.

Senior Chrissa Baldy plays lead character Ariel, whose health issues leave her with a creeping sense that she may not have much time left.

“My big leads in the past have been kind of one-dimensional,” said Baldy, 18, of Murrysville.

“I’ve been rehearsing some of my big monologues a lot, to try to get as much of her different emotions into it as I can.”

Where the group typically stages plays that are funny — and this one has several of those moments, including one sequence that delves into the imagination of a teenage boy, “a place no one wants to go,” Sunny said — “Elsewhere” leans more toward the scarier side of things.

“We’ve been working with the sound and lighting departments to help bring those frightening moments to life a little more,” Bayer said.

Baldy said she’s worked on overplaying her emotions onstage so they translate well to the audience.

“I’ve been working on what Mr. Sunny calls ‘the quiver’ — kind of a shaky voice that helps convey fear and emotion,” she said.

Zolidis said nailing the right tone for the play can be tricky.

“This is a play that has scary moments that are hard to pull off onstage, but it’s also quite funny,” he said.

“Getting that mixture of horror and comedy just right is challenging, and that’s incumbent on the actors and director to find.”

“Elsewhere” will be performed Nov. 17 and 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the Franklin Regional Senior High School auditorium at 3200 School Road in Murrysville.

There is not an in-person show on Nov. 18, but Sunny said he plans to stream the previous night’s performance on YouTube, with a link for patrons to donate to the Thespians group.

The Nov. 20 show will be a 2 p.m. matinee.

Tickets are $5 at the door and there is no reserved seating.