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A mysterious murder has taken place at the Bonner Springs High School auditorium and it will take a cast of eight students to figure out who is behind the act.

This is the opening to the high school’s spring play "Hickory Dickory Dead," which will bring audience members into a mystery filled with murder, diamonds and a suspicious cast of characters.

“I get tired of the traditional shows that are done over and over again,” said faculty director Dan Streit about why he chose the play. “This show has humor and it gets the audience members involved. You truly don’t know who was the murderer until the last scene.”

Streit said he liked to pick the unknown shows because it allows his student actors to develop their characters and put their own spin on the characters’ personalities. He said it also allows audience members to come in with a fresh perspective.

The eight actors and four members of the production crew who are bringing this performance to life have been working since the middle of December. With about a week to go, Streit said he feels confident that the audience is in for a great show that includes several fun twists and turns.

Brandy Hoover, a BSHS senior, plays Regan Tasker, a teashop owner who has come to the Hickory Dickory Inn to reunite with her sister whom she hasn’t seen in six years.

Hoover has been performing in the high school’s plays and musicals since her freshman year. She said she’s excited about her upcoming performance because she’s worked hard in the last four years to build up to one of the leading roles.

The first role she played had three lines, and now she said she’s up to 226 lines. She said she loves acting and plans to study liberal arts at Kansas City Kansas Community College next year.

But for this performance, she said she’s had to get used to playing a more serious role; she is usually the goofy, funny one on stage. She said she hopes the audience enjoys the wide variety of characters that she described as “off the wall” and “quirky.”

“It’s a good mystery,” she said. “It’s really fun when you put all the pieces together in the last scene and figure out who did it.”

Brenna Hoch, a BSHS sophomore, plays Connie Girard, the long-lost sister of Hoover’s character and a private detective.

Hoch was in the play last year and she said she’s enjoyed being involved because she’s made a lot of new friends. She said she has also enjoyed this year’s play even more because she has a larger part and because of her character’s personality.

Hoch’s character is at the forefront of discovering who is responsible for the murder. Between the distractions that keep arising and the suspicious guests staying at the inn, Connie Girard has her hands full trying to solve the case.

“It’s very fun and it’s very lively,” Hoch said of the show.

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