Laughs, frights promised with NV's play this weekend

Many laughs and a few frights promise to greet those who attend Nodaway Valley High School’s spring play called “‘The Hallmark of Horrors,” 7 p.m. Saturday evening and 2 p.m. Sunday aftenroon, April 27-28.

Scary movies are full of different ways to give you nightmares, but once you figure out the formula, the frightful looks pretty funny. Organizers say “you won’t believe how fast the spine-chilling turns side-splitting when you know the secrets of “The Hallmarks of Horror.”

Organizers say to please be aware that this show is full of many phobias meant to give a fright. This show includes audience interactions, loud noises and flashing lights. This show may not be the best for small children or those who are faint of heart, but it is perfect for someone who loves horror as well as a good laugh.

As seniors, Bella Hogan, Genevieve Livingston and Malachi Broers are three of the older, more experienced cast members in this production that is being co-directed by Lauren Huff and Hesper Jameson.

“This show basically goes through what stereotypically happens in horror movies,” Hogan said. “It’s kind of scary, but comedic, in a way. I’m looking forward to the laughs and having fun with everybody. It is fun seeing people working together fluently and their lines coming through. It’s very entertaining to watch.”

According to Livingston, the cast is larger in size than in previous years, and it features a good mix of older and younger actors.

“[The size of the cast] almost doubles from what we had from last year and the year before, which is really cool. I was part of those productions in my sophomore and junior year. There’s a lot of kids who we’re carrying over from those in the senior class, so it’s cool a lot of us are on our third play together,” Livingston said. “A lot of the people have grown really well into the roles that suit them well. There’s a lot of opportunity for each member

Broers is in his first play at Nodaway Valley, however he carries plenty of experience from past musicals into this production. He enjoys “being goofy” while acting out the various characters he is assigned to.

“It’s a lot of my friends in the play, so we can have a good time while still getting things done,” Broers said. “I think this is a little different than anything we’ve put on before because it has a lot of horror but also is comedic. It reaches from older kids all the way up to grownups because they’ve probably watched a number of horror movies in their time.”

Huff said she and Jameson are very proud of the effort the cast and crew has put in ahead of this weekend’s productions.

“Hesper and I have both worked exstremely well together, with the kids, to put on a fantastic show,” Huff said. “The play’s numbers are up this year, which is a great thing to help pull this show together. The spring is a busy time of year, but the kids have put in a lot of work to put on a great show!”