“Attack of the Giant Grasshoppers” began a three-day run Tuesday evening in the Emery High Little Theatre, drawing a full house to the Halloween play put on by the Emery High Drama Department’s first-year drama students.
The play continues Wednesday and Thursday, beginning at 7 p.m.
Director Neal Peacock described the production as “a fun though terrifying play,” smiling as he said “terrifying.”
“Really, this is just for laughs,” he clarified. “That’s all it’s about.”
The play, written by Robert Swift, tells the story of a science fair at King Neptune High School, where exhibits include vegetarian piranha fish, face cream made from hamburger helper and grasshoppers, and potatoes that had been painted green. When one of the projects produced terrible results, the SWAT team was called in to save the students.
The play allowed for a large cast, and that was just what Peacock was looking for when he chose the play.
“It uses 24 people, and I have 24 students in my class,” he said. ” I read it and thought it would work great, and it did.”
Equally important to Peacock was the audience to which the play appeals.
“The thing that I like best about this play is that little kids really like it,” he explained. “We like to do something right before Halloween to give people something that’s not very scary and kind of fun.”
Peacock uses the Halloween Play as the First Term final exam for his beginning drama students.
“We have a performance final, rather than a paper test type of final,” Peacock explained.
Preceding the Halloween production each evening at 6 p.m., advanced drama students will perform scenes they have been practicing for their term finals.
The Emery High Drama Department’s next production will be the musical “Grease,” which will run November 17, 18 and 19. The money raised from gate receipts at the Halloween play will go toward supporting the upcoming musical production.