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By Ethan Lee
Hometown Weekly Contributor
From Friday, June 3, to Saturday, June 4, the Pollard and High Rock Drama Clubs captivated audiences with excellent performances of “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” Presented in the Pollard Auditorium, the middle school actors and actresses delivered their very own student-run version of the Sherlock Holmes classic. The end result was a hilarious and mysterious comic thriller starring Shirley Holmes and Jennie Watson.
Why the change to female detectives? Director Kate Jones explained: “There are too many talented actresses in this world to reserve Sherlock and John for men only. It’s high time we opened up these classic characters to all performers, regardless of gender.”
The play was performed three times: 7:30 p.m. on June 3, and 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on June 4. Staged with a funny twist to the original story, performers drew laughter from the audience with constant jokes and quips. Students in the play rehearsed beginning in March, preparing for a work that was well-received by spectators. Onlooker Larry Marget found that “It was very well done. It was amusing and well put together...It was very well acted out, and the story was very cohesive.”
Jones was ecstatic about the performance. “I’m crazy proud of it. I’m really happy with how it turned out. Yes, I directed it, but all of the sets and changes were made by the kids. The sound cues were done by the kids. A lot of the acting choices were done by the kids. It was very student-run, which I’m really proud of and which I think is important.”
Any inspirations for the theme? Jones explained that “I decided that we would do a comedy but [with] a twist on it. We would do something that is also a mystery so that as a director, I [can] get kids used to doing different types of genres. They already had comedy skills, so I wanted to build on top of that.”
Accompanied by frequent punchlines and delightful acting, “The Hound of the Baskervilles” brought out the best of Pollard and High Rock actors and actresses.
