When The Duchess, a fictional cruise ship, sets sail from Columbus Middle School Auditorium Thursday at 6:30 p.m., everybody on board will leave “port” with a secret — and one of the passengers won’t be coming back.
Such is the plot of “Death Aboard the Duchess,” an entertaining murder mystery written by Columbus Middle School Drama Instructor Chelsea Petty.
“You have a cast of very interesting passengers — a very eccentric professor, who claims to be an alchemist, a rich lady and her butler, a newlywed couple, a reporter …” said Petty. “And then there’s the crew! There’s the very calm captain and a first mate with a real attitude problem, who would love to take the captain’s place.”
Seventh-grader Tre Womack debuts on stage as “swabbie” James Bumble, a somewhat unlikely lead character. Womack is the son of Trina James and Henry Womack.
“I love my part because my character is clumsy and funny. I’m like the undercover police,” said Womack Friday. “And the ending is a big surprise — yes ma’am, 100 percent.”
Petty laughed, “If he (Bumble) can mess it up, he messes it up; he’s just a real goofy character.” And she should know. She not only wrote the script but directs this play that launches a new era of drama at CMS.
“I’d like to make this program so kids are running the show, doing two shows a year — a straight play and a musical,” said the energetic Petty, who is in her first year at the middle school.
The 2006 graduate of Rockford College in Illinois taught three years at Okolona High School, where she started an after-school drama program. She also taught drama at Tupelo Christian School.
“Every character in ‘Death Aboard the Duchess’ has a quirk, and they’re all interconnected somehow, but you don’t find out until the end,” promised the mystery’s creator.
Most of the cast and crew are new to stage productions, although a few have participated previously in plays at Joe Cook Fine Arts Magnet School or at church.
“But they’re just naturals,” smiled Petty. Each is gaining experience, confidence and skill they can take with them into upper grades.
“Everybody is having a wonderful time working on the play,” asserted Womack, adding, “It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”
For Petty, the production — her first at CMS — holds particular meaning.
“I’m just fortunate to be here,” she stated, describing the position as a “dream job.”
“When I was in college, this is the kind of job I wanted to have,” she said. “I’ve got a school that stands behind the programs and parents who are very supportive. There’s a real desire to have this program.”
The one-night-only performance takes place in the Columbus Middle School Auditorium at 175 Highway 373 in North Columbus. Admission is $5.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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