Since September, actors and tech crew members have been preparing for Parkway North’s fall theater production, “The Tell-Tale Farce.”

The play will take place in the Parkway North Theater on Oct. 26 and 27 at 7:00 p.m. and on Oct. 28 at 2:00 p.m.

The play is a farce, which is a type of exaggerated comedy. “The Tell-Tale Farce” is “based loosely on Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’,” said director Chad Little, who is also North’s theater teacher. 

“There’s lots of mishaps, which I think is really funny,” said actor junior Matt Andrews. “It should get really over the top by the end and in unexpected ways.”

A cast of nine actors and a tech crew of roughly 20 people have worked to make the show possible. 

“I wish [the audience] could see all the hard work that goes into it,” said Little. “But if the crews are doing their jobs correctly, the audience doesn’t really see… the actual hard work that the technicians put into the show. And that’s what I wish they could see more of.” 

Actors and tech crew usually meet on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and occasionally meet on Tuesdays and Saturdays. During rehearsals, actors work on characterization, blocking, memorization, and preparing their acting for the show. 

Andrews said, “It’s just really fun to work with people, and lots of laughs, jokes, and scenes falling apart because we’re laughing.” 

With only around eight weeks of rehearsals, the actors didn’t have much time to prepare for the show. “This has been a short rehearsal period,” Little said. “It’s shorter than we normally do. And [the actors] stepped up and have worked hard on getting things memorized and creating bold characters, which is great.” 

Meanwhile, as the actors prepare for the performance, the tech crew works on set construction, lighting, sound, costumes, props, and marketing for the show.

“There are at least 25 walls that we have built. [The set is] supposed to kind of go along with the exaggeration of the show itself,” said construction lead senior Trent Lair. 

Construction is in charge of creating the set, including building walls, doors, and painting, among other things.

“I think [the tech crew is] vastly important. All crews, but I feel specifically set and construction because you need somewhere to imagine where the actors are, and that’s pretty hard when there’s nothing there,” said Lair. 

Tickets are on sale now at pnhvikingtheatre.ludus.com. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 dollars for senior citizens, $6 dollars for students, and $5 dollars for inducted International Thespian Society members. There will be deaf and hard of hearing interpreters at the show on Oct. 27.