Wolfpack stages choose-your-own verdict melodrama
The cast of Wolfpack Theatre's production of "The NIght of January 16" includes (left to right) Jane Chandler, played by Andrea Chandler, Elmer Sweeney, played by Braden Wakefield, and Homer Van Fleet, played by Elise Plum.
The Wolfpack Theatre Company at Glacier High School presents the gripping melodrama “Night of January 16th” by the Advanced Acting Ensemble Class May 3 and 4. Curtain time is 6:33 p.m. in the Wolfpack Theatre at Glacier High School. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for children, students and senior citizens, available at the GHS Main Office and Photo Video Plus. Any remaining tickets will be sold at the door.
On the night of Jan. 16, the brilliant and ruthless tycoon, Bjorn Faulkner, is in the penthouse suite at the top of the Faulkner Building in New York when he falls to his death — it is up to the audience to decide if it was an accident, suicide or murder.
Karen Andre, Bjorn’s secretary and mistress, is placed on trial for the murder. The lawyers call upon a number of witnesses, including doctors, security guards, private investigators, the coroner, and even a notorious gangster, to testify. But as each person tells their story, it becomes apparent that their testimony will do little more than contradict the one before. Someone is definitely lying.
In “Night of January 16th” the audience is called upon to become the jury and ultimately decides Andre’s guilt or innocence. The verdict determines the ending of the show which leads to possible alternative conclusions each night.
“The play delves into the exploration of self-expression by allowing audience interpretation of the evidence and personal bias to determine the show’s ending,” said GHS senior, Alexa Wilton who is directing the play. “A jury will be selected from the audience, and those 12 jurors will determine Karen Andre’s fate. The audience-selected jury will put a unique spin on a classic murder mystery trope. Whodunnit? That’s up to you.”
Written by novelist and playwright, Ayn Rand, “Night of January 16th” was the hit of the 1935 Broadway season and has inspired multiple versions of the story for radio, television and movies. While there are some mature themes in the show, there is no explicit language or gruesome imagery, Wilton said. “Directing as a senior feels incredibly special to me. This feels like the capstone of my high school theatre career. The memories I’ve made and the lessons I’ve learned will stay with me far beyond high school.”
The performance is produced by the Advanced Acting Ensemble class under the direction of Greg Adkins.
The cast includes Kaitlyn Illi, Mac Adkins, Morgan Pitts, Kaelin Holt, Kiya Warner, Zephy Hanson, Elise Plum, Braden Wakefield, Andrea Chandler, Bella AuClaire, Aimee Fuller, Avram Bingham, Venice Ferchette, Maeve Kintzler and Kerraline Bemis.
The technical crew includes Fiona Fuller, Lane Mckoy, Quinn Dunham, Jaiden Mallo, Jacen Mallo, Toben Mallo, Kirra Turner, Kailie Owens and Audrey Goodsell.