High School Students Star in Online Production of Clue This Friday, the Performing Arts Program at Central High School in Davenport, IA, will present Clue: High School Edition. The play will be performed as a video on the Broadway on Demand streaming platform. To watch the show, simply click on this link at 7 p.m., Feb. 26:
Clue: High School Edition is based on the 1985 Paramount mystery/comedy Clue, which in turn was inspired by the classic Hasbro board game of the same name. The tale begins at a remote mansion, where six mysterious guests assemble for a dinner party where murder and blackmail are on the menu. When Mr. Boddy, their host, turns up dead, they all become suspects. Led by Wadsworth the butler, the guests – Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock and Colonel Mustard – race to find the killer as the body count stacks up.
Central’s drama director, Thea IntVeld, has been teaching at the high school for 12 years. Classes that she has taught include Introduction to Theater, Advanced Acting, and Movement. Another teacher had suggested Clue to IntVeld two years ago. Last year, IntVeld had planned to stage the script as a play, but the pandemic presented obstacles to that plan. She then decided to produce it as a video and reach an even wider audience.
“Our students actually performed the play as a movie,” IntVeld said. “We pre-recorded so it will look so much better than a live production. And the best part about this show? In the new format, it wouldn’t have to be staged at the high school. Instead, the students performed inside a gorgeous, real-life mansion.”
Clue: High School Edition was shot at the Renwick Mansion, located at 901 Tremont Avenue, Davenport. The mansion is an example of Italian Revival Villa architecture, complete with a limestone exterior and a four-story tower that overlooks the Mississippi River.
“Many rooms have fireplaces and four-poster beds,” said IntVeld. “We never could have built a huge, lavish set like that at the high school.” Once part of St. Katherine’s School, the Renwick Mansion now serves as a location for weddings, receptions, reunions and other social events.
“Because we put so much work into the production,” IntVeld said, “we didn’t want to experience any possible setbacks for health reasons. So the production has a second cast and a second director. All of the major parts have understudies.”
“We are looking forward to another great production on Friday night,” said Jon Flynn, Principal of Central High School. “This is different from anything we have staged in the past, and our cast, crew, and directors have been working hard. Our students are excited about Clue, and I hope Blue Devils everywhere take advantage of this unique viewing opportunity.”
Some well-known directors, like Alfred Hitchcock, have been known to make cameo appearances in their films. Did IntVeld decide to follow in that tradition? “I do make a cameo appearance in Clue,” she said, ‘but it’s an audio cameo. At one point, the maid can be heard screaming, but that scream is actually me.”
Clue: High School Edition. Directed by Thea IntVeld and Jo Vasquez.
Cast:
Wadsworth: Hayden IntVeld
Yvette: Olivia Hoft
Miss Scarlet: Inna Gomez
Mrs. Peacock: Emilia Gonzalez
Mrs. White: Meghan Brewster
Colonel Mustard: Chuy Gomez
Professor Plum: Gage McAllister
Mr. Green: Asher Meyer
Cook: Aria DeFoe
Singing Telegram Girl: Jenna VanHoosier
The Motorist: Michelle Sass
Mr. Boddy: Jack Stremlow
Broadcaster: LaDella Gallagher
Chief of Police/McCarthy: Aiden Leahy
The Unexpected Cop: Ella Miller
Understudy/Wadsworth: LaDella Gallagher
Understudy/Yvette: Laney Chandler
Understudy/Miss Scarlet: Mia Roland
Understudy/Mrs. Peacock: Morgan Ford
Understudy/Mrs. White: Maya Thiessen
Understudy/Colonel Mustard: Jack Stremlow
Understudy/Professor Plum: Jenna VanHoosier
Central High School is located at 1120 Main Street, Davenport, IA. To find out more about the school, visit http://www.davenportschools.org/central/. For more information on the school’s Performing Arts Program, visit http://www.davenportschools.org/central/arts-music/performing-arts/.
To learn more about the Davenport Community School District, please visit http://www.davenportschools.org/.
About the Davenport Community School District: Serving more than 14,000 students and their families, the Davenport Community School District prepares young minds for success. Through academics, the arts, and athletics, we are growing excellence for every child. We work with the communities of Blue Grass, Buffalo, Davenport, and Walcott. With more than 3,000 employees, we are one of the top ten employers in the Iowa/Illinois Quad Cities. We employ more than 1,400 teachers, and more than half hold a master’s degree or higher. All teachers receive ongoing coaching and professional development by a staff of Curriculum & Instruction Specialists and other experts from around the nation. To learn more, please visit http://www.davenportschools.org/.
