The show must go on; The Woodington Players may have waited a week to put on their show after delays from Hurricane Sandy, but the fall play, The Government Inspector was a huge success overall.

The Government Inspector was chosen by drama teacher and Woodington Players advisor, Donna Bialkin, who said, “The script was very entertaining.” The Government Inspector is set in 1836, about a mayor in a small village in Russia who finds out the town is going to be visited by an inspector from the government. The town is well-prepared to impress the inspector but as Bialkin said, “it’s a farce; they fall all over themselves trying to make a good impression, but predictably, they’ve got the wrong guy!”

The Government Inspector was chosen because it had not only comic relief but a number of large roles for the members of the Woodington Players to play. Auditions were held in the beginning of the school year. “It consists of students coming on stage in pairs and reading scenes from the script. Those who do well are able to create characters and relationships, rather than reading directly from the page. They bring the characters to life,” Bialkin said. The characters were brought to life by actors such as senior John Hutton, who played the leading role of Ivan Hlestavkov and sophomore Dan Robertson, who played the role of the mayor.

Rehearsals for the play started the third week in September. Actors would rehearse three to four days a week in Campbell Auditorium from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 or 6:00 p.m. As November 15, opening day, approached, some rehearsals lasted until 7:00 p.m. The play was not only made a success by the actors, but also with the help of, as Bialkin said, “25 cast members: more than 30 on crew, and 5 adult advisors.”

The crew is composed of students who worked backstage and in costume and set design.  Junior Nicole Scordo, Co-Stage Manager with junior Katie Cagle, said “This play featured what we called “flipply flats.” Each side of the flat is painted for different scenes. They were very useful and made it easier not to have as many set pieces backstage.” The running crew changed the set and helped move props. Scordo “make[s] sure all the actors know when their cues are.” She also writes down blocking: the positioning of the actors on stage, and all other cues that sometimes help with blocking the scene. Because the “flipply flats” were used, there were not many special effects for the play. The costume crew also handmade some of the costumes, such as Jackie Romeo’s pink dress.

The Woodington Players are already starting to prepare for the spring musical, Little Shop of Horrors, which opens on March 14.