After the last 18 months, if there’s one thing the Stuart Community needs, it’s a good laugh. Enter Clue: the 2021 Stuart Upper School fall play. The comedic murder mystery rides off the spookiness of Halloween, set to be performed the week after on Nov. 5 and 6 at 7 p.m. in the Stuart Little Theatre at Stuart. Upper School students have been working diligently since September, with Ms. Baldwin, to put on this suspenseful piece.  

Based on the board game originally created by the Parker Brothers, and later turned into a movie, Clue examines the murders within the Body Mansion. With an array of characters, all of whom are suspects, Clue is filled with suspense, leaving the audience wondering, “Who did it?” And how can you find out? By coming to see the play, of course.  

When it came to choosing this year’s play, drama teacher, Ms. Baldwin, knew it had to be something upbeat. “It was important to choose something that was lighthearted, funny, and would give the cast and the crew something to do that was uplifting,” Baldwin explains about her choice. While about death and murder, it is still a comedy, a genre our community needs after the past few months. 

Casting has always come easy to Ms. Baldwin. She never fails to find students that fit their characters perfectly. And with Clue, it’s no different. “I just know by the way that they move, act, talk, and their sense of humor, which one is more suited to the character,” Baldwin divulges on her casting process. “I can’t change a character to suit the student, I have to make the student fit the character.” It’s intuitive, an art within itself that makes Stuart shows so unique. Every cast member, including those in Clue, portrays their character exceptionally, which makes the entire experience all the more memorable.  

Two seniors are a part of their final play this year. Aspen Rosica is a member of the cast, and has been for all four years at the Upper School. In Clue, she plays Wadsworth, the Butler. Arguably the most difficult role in the play, with around 248 lines to memorize. “It was certainly difficult being that I haven’t had this many lines before, so it was a new challenge, but one that I did take head on,” Aspen says. “While it was hard balancing it with a lot of my other stuff, I was able to get it done and still portray my character in an accurate and a fun way.”  Ms. Baldwin also gushes about Aspen’s accomplishments, “she has been a true role model with her professionalism.” In the midst of college applications, Aspen has not only perfected her own character, but been someone to look up to for the younger members of the cast. 

Tess Chiarello, the other senior involved in the Fall Play, is the chief member of the crew. She is not only in charge of props and keeping the cast under control, but she is also responsible for the set and creating the program. Tess has kept the behind-the-scenes of Clue running like a “well oiled clock,” making sure everything is in order and promoting the play to the rest of the school. For these two exceptional students, it’s extremely important that the Stuart community comes out to support them in their final Fall Play. 

As a community, we all need something funny. And, as Ms. Baldwin so eloquently puts it, “the more we laugh, the more we come together as a community.” Especially during the first trimester, with college applications being submitted, the grading period coming to an end, and fall sports teams playing their final games. It’s a time to celebrate, a “capstone” to the end of our trimester. The joy that comes with Clue is something that the whole Upper School must come and see. It’s an important time for our community to support those who’ve worked to make this play possible, and also come together as an audience in one celebratory night. Covid-19 has not been able to stop Stuart, and when it comes to the arts, the pandemic has not hampered the electric feel of our community’s performers. 

Everyone is encouraged to come out Friday and Saturday night to laugh together. The tickets are $10, with a limited seating capacity of 70 people each night. To find more information about the upcoming play, you can go to Ms. Baldwin, Tess, or the cast members. Flyers have been sent out in email as well as being posted around the school. Come out to support your peers and have a night full of comedy with your friends!