The Newtown High School Drama Club will present Noises Off, Thursday, November 14, through Sunday, November 17.

By Tuesday, November 12, both student directors for the play, Kylie Gallagher and Brittany Pearson, had everything under control as the first full dress rehearsal of the play began.

Noises Off, Brittany explained, “is about a director and his troupe of actors who are putting on a show called Nothing On, so it is a play within a play.”

Kylie said the play has three acts.

“The first act is during the dress rehearsal so there are starts and stops and we see the director come on, so it makes the audience feel like they are a part of the show,” said Kylie. “The second act is backstage. You kind of see what is going on and the messes that are happening while the play is actually being performed. And the third act is during the performance, the final time, and you see all the happenings on stage and everything that goes wrong.”

Noises Off is a comedy written by Michael Frayn.

“We wanted to put on a production that was funny and could bring a smile to your face,” said Brittany. “And we thought it would be the perfect fit for our town after everything we have experienced this past year, and it would be a great way to bring the community together once more and smile. We felt that laughter was the best medicine.”

Kylie said the play is “very, very” funny while being a “family-friendly show.”

“We haven’t done comedy in a while here at Newtown High School,” Kylie said. “So we wanted to do something that is funny and very general. I think everyone is really going to like it.”

Show times for the production are at 7 pm on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday; a matinee performance will be held at 2 pm on Sunday.

Tickets are general admission and will be sold at the door starting one hour before each performance. Tickets will be sold for $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, and $7 for students and faculty.

Cast members for the production are Katie Wolff, Ian Fuchs, Sean Dalton, Megan Primavera, Rachel Goldman, Kyle Watkins, Emily Crebbin, Eric Greto, and Aidan Petershack.

Kim Saltzman is the show’s producer, Mitchell Girgasky is the technical director and also in charge of lighting design, Erin Hartgraves is the production manager, Michael Biancardi is the stage manager, Zach Charles is the head carpenter, Tim Mammen is in charge of sound design, Abby Callery is the scenic artist for the production, and Maggie Gorman is in charge of costume design and is the props mistress.

While Noises Off is overseen by the students, NHS English teacher Brian Tenney is the fall drama advisor.