The stages are set and the lights are beginning to dim at the Freehold Regional High School District’s schools as the fall drama productions get underway.
Howell High School, Squankum-Yellowbrook Road, Howell, will present “The Diviners” by Jim Leonard Jr. Set in the early days of the Depression in a small southern Indiana town, Buddy Layman is a 14-year-old boy with a strange relationship to water.
The story follows Buddy’s struggle to understand the death of his mother and his place in the society of the town where he lives. While the play follows the lives of several of the town’s characters, it is ultimately about hope.
Performances will be held on Nov. 2-5 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door.
Colts Neck High School, Route 537, Colts Neck, will present “The Game’s Afoot” by Ken Ludwig. It is December 1936 and Broadway star William Gillette, admired the world over for his leading role in the play “Sherlock Holmes,” has invited his fellow cast-members to his Connecticut castle for a weekend of revelry, but when one guest is stabbed to death, the festivities quickly turn dangerous.
Then it is up to Gillette himself, as he assumes the persona of his beloved Holmes, to track down the killer before the next victim appears. This glittering whodunit is set during the Christmas holidays.
Performances will be held on Nov. 3-4 at 7 p.m. A matinee will be performed on Nov. 5 at 4 p.m.
Marlboro High School, Route 79, Marlboro, will present “Our Town” by Thornton Wilder. “Our Town” tells the story of a small town, Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, in order to tell people the story of every town all over the world.
Narrated by the “Stage Manager,” the audience follows the Gibbs and Webb families through 12 years of life changes. Through the young lovers Emily and George, their strong and loving parents, and many other Grover’s Corners’ locals, Wilder delivers universal truths about what it means to be human.
Performances will be held on Nov. 15-16 at 6:30 p.m. Performances on Nov. 18-19 will be at 7 p.m. There will be a matinee on Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $12. Visit http://mhstheatersociety.wixsite.com/mhstheatersociety to learn how to purchase tickets.
Manalapan High School, Church Lane, Manalapan, will present “All in the Timing,” a collection of one-act plays by American playwright David Ives.
The plays include “Sure Thing,” where two people meet in a cafe and find their way through a conversational minefield as an offstage bell interrupts their false starts, gaffes and faux pas on the way to falling in love.
“Words, Words, Words” recalls the philosophical adage that three monkeys typing into infinity will sooner or later produce “Hamlet” and asks “What would monkeys talk about at their typewriters?”
“The Universal Language” brings together Dawn, a young woman with a stutter, and Don, the creator and teacher of Unamunda, a wild comic language. Their lesson sends them off into a dazzling display of hysterical verbal pyrotechnics, and, of course, true love.
Performances will be held on Nov. 16 and Nov. 18-19 at 6:30 p.m.
Freehold Township High School, Elton-Adelphia Road, Freehold Township, will present “Little Women.” Louisa May Alcott’s beloved story of the adventures of the four March sisters comes to life. The Civil War is in full swing, and the March sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, live in Concord, Mass., with their Marmee while their father is on the battlefield. Filled with adventure, heartbreak and a deep sense of hope, the struggle of these “Little Women” to find their own voices mirrors the growing pains of a young America.
Performances will be on Nov. 16 and Nov. 18-19 at 7 p.m. A matinee will be performed on Nov. 19 at 1 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and may be purchased at the door.
Freehold High School, Robertsville Road, Freehold Borough, will present “Letters to Sala.” Adapted from the book “Sala’s Gift” by Ann Kirschner and based on a true account, “Letters to Sala” is a story of a young girl’s survival during World War II era Germany. Sala Garncarz Kirschner kept her secret for more than 50 years. Everything changes when Sala reveals the cache to her grown daughter, Ann.
Performances will be held on Nov. 18-19 at 7 p.m. There will be a matinee performance on Nov. 19 at 1 p.m. Tickets are $10.