Students at Medicine Hat High School are excited to premier Plan 9 from Outer Space: The Plan Goes Wrong on March 25-26, and April 1-2.--NEWS PHOTO KENDALL KING
kking@medicinehatnews.com
Students at Medicine Hat High School are excited to return to the stage after nearly two years away, with their original theatre production Plan 9 From Outer Space: The Plan Goes Wrong.
The play, premiering March 25, has been in the works since the beginning of the school year and involves a cast of 45 students in Grades 10-12. An adaptation of the 1959 movie Plan 9 From Outer Space, the production promises laughter and surprise.
“Plan 9 From Outer Space is originally a B movie directed by Ed Wood,” Richard Grafton, MHHS theatre and dramatic arts teacher, told the News. “A lot of people would claim it’s the worst move ever made, so we decided to take it and turn it into a play which goes wrong.”
Described as a meta-play, or play within a play, the production follows a group of students trying to put on Plan 9 From Outer Space and the difficulties they encounter along the way.
“The idea behind it is the cast is trying to put on the production, but unfortunately everything which could go wrong, does go wrong; set pieces fall, people forget their props, actors arrive late or forget their lines, basically every theatre trope you could find is part of it,” Grafton laughed. “Hopefully, it’s a lot of fun and people will get that response and laughter.”
Grafton, who rewrote the film’s script to fit the stage, took inspiration from real-life theatre experiences.
“In every show, there’s always something which goes wrong,” he said. “If we’re good the audience never sees it. This time we’re flipping that around and saying this is what we normally do to try and fix the problem.”
Grafton hopes audiences enjoy the twist and the many immersive elements of the show.
“It’s meant to feel like you’re part of the show,” said Grafton. “We have characters coming out into the audience. Even the sound booth; usually we don’t want to see the technician – we don’t want to hear sounds from the booth. This time, the people in the booth are also actors and are also performing. They have interactions with the people on stage … So, we really break the fourth wall and involve the audience.”
KJ Johnson, a Grade 12 student who plays the alien ruler and army general, is excited to finally perform in front of a live audience and hopes they will find the experience engaging.
“COVID threw a bit of a wrench in the plans,” Johnson told the News. “We were supposed to (perform) it early in the year, but even being able to do it now is just a great blessing … We’ve been doing lots of practising, lots of rehearsals.
“While the audience is expecting to be laughing, I think there’s going to be a lot of things they don’t expect as well.”
Grafton is proud of his students and the consistent work they’ve put into the production.
“They’ve been working really hard on it,” he said. “We get all kinds (of students) here at Hat High for the drama department. There are some who want to continue with (acting) but for many, this is their first chance at it.”
He is especially proud of their willingness to embrace a play, entirely new to the theatre scene.
“This is like a world premier, because this is a brand-new version of (Plan 9 From Outer Space). So, I think that’s a moment of pride for the students. They know they’re going to be part of the first group which did this,” Grafton said. “It is really neat to say we’re not (following) in someone else’s footsteps, we’re really doing our own and have branched out in new ways.”
Plan 9 From Outer Space: The Plan Goes Wrong will be held at 7 p.m. on March 25 and 26 and April 1 and 2 at MHHS’s performing arts theatre. Online viewing options are also available. Tickets can be purchased on Tixx.ca
