Young actors, an eerie whodunit are ingredients for theater fun

Take a bunch of kids: some shy, some not so shy and some downright over the top.

Put them on a stage and what happens? You'll find there's a whole lot of fun and new experiences exposed to them through theater.

Last weekend and this weekend a number of Tri-Cities kids are involved in First Street Playhouse's production of "A Haunting We will Go."

It's a classic "whodunnit," involving murder and mystery. The dark basement theater setting is perfect for the eerie play. The play is directed by Connie Flores, the popular director who produced "Beauty is the Beast" at First Street.

At a recent rehearsal, Flores was quick to calm down her actors and say, "What do we do if we forget our lines?"

"Improvise," shouted the actors.

The play is written by playwright, Tim Kelly. According to Flores, "An eerie quote from this play, 'he's been dead for years ... but his ghost walks' ironically describes his impact since his death in 1998; his 300-plus works continue to be performed in schools, community theatres and organizations."

Flores is working with a variety of ages from elementary through middle school. Some of her actors have had experience on the stage and others are new to theater. One newbie is Hailey Curcio.

"My mom signed me up for this play because I didn't talk a lot in school," she said. I think she wanted to make me less shy."

Has the theater experience helped her?

"Yes," she added. "I want to be an actress someday."

Haley Iutzwig is also enjoying being involved in the production.

"We're like one big happy family working to put something together," she said. "Sometimes we yell over each other but we're still family. That's what family does."

Kate Lindgren is having fun following in her sister's footsteps.

"Emily was in the play 'Beauty is the Beast' and she had a lot of fun so I decided to sign up," Kate said. "I play a 15-year-old brat."

"She's really good at it," Maddie McFadden said. "She's not really a brat. She's just good at playing one."

"Thank you," said a relieved Kate, who didn't want her reputation ruined in newsprint.

As the girls clung to each other and giggled, I realized one of the best parts of the theater experience is making new friends. Coming from different elementary schools they all enjoyed meeting new people.

Other actors in the play are Joe Velazquez, Amy Gladis, Emily Lindgren, Kaitlyn Bicek, Blake Griffin, Lauren Neimeyer, Madison Mortenson, Emily Stalker and Teal Cyko.

Putting on a show is a lot of fun. It's a lot more fun when there is an enthusiastic audience. Plan to see the play this weekend. The show takes place at 5 p.m. Nov. 3 at First Street Playhouse located at 160 S Water St in Batavia. Tickets cost $5 for students and $7 for adults.