The Understudy Photos and Story

San Benito High School put on "The Understudy" a play about a murder and a play within a play. It's great for high school students because there are so many parts, and it encourages them to have fun with overacting. Some of my favorite pre-show shots:



Here's the story I wrote about it for The Pinnacle:

Drama students take on "The Understudy"

It's rare in a murder mystery that the culprit is known from the start of a story. But that is just the premise in "The Understudy," which opened at San Benito High School Nov. 30.

In the play, an actress with high hopes of stardom has a knack for landing the understudy role. She decides to take casting into her own hands by doing away with the lead actress. She soon discovers not all is what it seems in the playhouse.

San Benito High School's drama department will be performing the play for a three day run, led by drama teacher Christina Plank.

The students chose the play after Greg Smith campaigned for it. The school has not put on a play similar to "The Understudy" in more than 15 years. Smith received the role of Howard Weaver in the play.

The play is a comedy that pokes fun at classic mystery writers, including Alfred Hitchcock and Agatha Christie. It is unusual in that the audience learns at the beginning who the murderer is, and then follows the play to learn how the identity of that person is discovered.

Eddie McPherson, an Atlanta, Ga. resident, wrote the play. He has been involved with teaching and advising drama students for more than 20 years. McPherson has written and published 34 plays over the years.