A month’s worth of work is coming to an end as TCU theatre students present “Noises Off,” the biggest production of the semester, today through Sunday.The crew of “Noises Off,” written by Michael Frayn, has been working on the show’s set for nearly a month, said Meg Bauman, a sophomore theatre major.
“Our set is enormous,” Bauman said. “It’s two stories tall and rotates.”
Kat Roll, a sophomore psychology major, said “Noises Off” is a play within a play. Audiences will see the rehearsal process, as well as what goes on behind the scenes during a play’s production, said Roll, who plays Brooke.
The set rotates throughout the play – one side showing the set of a play called “Nothing On,” and the other portraying the “backstage” area, Roll said.
According to a Theatre TCU press release, “It offers audiences the unique opportunity to view the frenzied lives of actors in their backstage element.”
The show follows the cast of “Nothing On,” as they have their last rehearsal and take the play on a tour across England, said Daniel Frederick, who plays Freddie, an actor in “Nothing On.”
Jule Nelson-Duac, a freshman theatre major who plays Belinda, an actress in “Nothing On,” said “Noises Off” shows all the possible problems a cast might encounter while trying to present a play.
“It’s a play about what happens backstage,” said Nelson-Duac. “Everything that can possibly go wrong does.”
The show will give students a look into the life of a theatre student, both on- and off-stage, said Bauman, who plays assistant stage director Poppy.
“We’re getting to let them in on our secrets,” Bauman said. “This is our life.”
“Noises Off,” set in 1980s England, features a cast of 10 students, Roll said.
Cast members are dressed in exaggerated, ’80s-style costumes and speak with British accents throughout, Nelson-Duac said.
Fredrick, a sophomore theatre major, said the show also features a lot of physical comedy.
“My pants end up falling down about half a dozen times,” Fredrick said.
Students will have a great time watching, Roll said.
“It’s one of the funniest plays I’ve ever seen or been in,” Roll said. “It’s hilarious.