On the opening night of the long-awaited spring musical, “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” students, parents and teachers alike filed into the McAfee Center to watch the production, many knowing that the ending would consist of something quite different from the norm: They would get to vote on the ending of the show. 

This unconventional murder-mystery, which allows the audience members to chose who they believe the murderer to be, attracted and interested many people.

“Being able to vote [on the ending of the play] was really interesting,” junior Nina Harris said. “The audience was really able to get involved in a new way.”
Director and drama teacher Sarah Thermond said that the addition of audience participation was what made the show so unique and interesting to watch.

“The main difference with this show [compared to other shows] is that the audience doesn’t passively observe the production, but instead interacts with cast members and determines [how the cast members] perform,” Thermond said.

Because of this, the cast faced new challenges when preparing for the show, such as refining their improvisation skills.

“The freedom to make the unscripted part of the show your own and unique style keeps you on your toes,” junior Nina Nelson, who plays Edwin Drood, said. “The fact that the show will never be the same each time is what I love about it.” 

The show faced other challenges as well. According to the stage manager, senior Melissa Rogan, although the melodies and harmonies were “hauntingly beautiful,” they were also rather difficult to grasp.

“The cast did a wonderful job of working through it,” Rogan said. “They never failed to amaze me with how they could overcome such difficult songs, and that is one of the reasons why the play turned out so well.”

The show performed this past weekend April 24-25 at 7:30 p.m. and April 26 at 2 p.m. It also performs May 1 and May 2 at 7:30 p.m.