Audiences of the Middle Park High School production of “Clue” will find themselves invited to witness a very unusual dinner party on a dark and stormy night. Each of the guests has an alias, the butler offers a variety of weapons, and the host is, well … dead. So whodunit?

Students in the high school’s theater department are busy with final preparations of their winter production of this madcap comedy. Based on the cult-classic film and the popular board game, “Clue” is a detective story that will keep audience members guessing until the final twist.

Students will play iconic oddballs Miss Scarlett, Professor Plum, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock and Colonel Mustard. They race to find the murderer as the body count stacks up — while many of them are murder suspects themselves. A few performers, seniors Connor Murdoch and Olivia Jane Kendziorski, also have a bigger hand in the play than just performing. Kendziorski and Murdoch, who play Miss Scarlett and Colonel Mustard respectively, will both put on their director’s caps for the first time in their theater tenure.

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“This production marks the first ‘mainstage’ show to be directed by students,” said theater program director Christal McDougall. “When they told me they wanted to direct this specific show, it was a no-brainer. I trusted their years of experience and knew they had the ability to pull it off.”

Both students have been part of high school theater since they were freshmen and also have participated in the Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre’s youth programs for years. 

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“I’ve loved having the chance to direct a show with a fellow student,” Kendziorski said. “The theater department has always been a big part of my life, and I’m grateful to have had this safe pace to grow in. Directing has been an extraordinary experience and has taught me so many things.”

Murdoch echoed her sentiment.

“I have definitely learned a lot through directing,” he said. “In the past, I always found myself having to fight the urge to overstep and direct my fellow castmates. Finally being on both sides of the production has been a great challenge and also super rewarding.”

Along with the directors’ expertise, “Clue,” like every production, is a team effort. The cast includes theater veterans and a middle school student new to Middle Park’s stage. The performers are: seniors Paddy Aither (Mr. Green), Brooke Bailey (Yvette, the maid), and Bode Rehm (Wadsworth, the butler); sophomores Sabra Forquer (Mrs. Peacock) and Jacki Martinski (Mrs. White); freshman Toby DeLoach (Professor Plum); and eighth-grade student Adrien Brower (Mr. Boddy).

Additional characters are played by sophomores Nathan Chua, Tyler Maurais and Gretchen Tracy, as well as freshmen Reese Kervin and Vallie Mace. The technical team for this production is led by seniors Major Powell (lighting director) and Dominic Base (run crew lead) and junior Sophia (stage manager). All technical team members also step into the show as cops at the end of act two. Sophomore Jill Hamlin is the wardrobe manager. Other technical team members include Bridget Aither, Henry Grissom and Frida Rosas.

“Clue” will be performed at Middle Park High School, located at 795 N. Second St. in Granby, from Feb. 9-11, with shows at 7 p.m. each evening. Tickets will be available at the door, with adults tickets costing $10 and youth tickets priced at $5; senior community members and East Grand students and staff are free. Audience members should note that the performance does include comedic adult themes.