A locally-written murder mystery, with a student/teacher affair, horror and comedy thrown into the mix, is set to have audiences on the edges of their seats when it debuts in Whangārei this week.
Blood High was written by a 15-year-old Tane Davis over 20 years ago and was his firstshow performed. The 2021 version has been reincarnated and modernised by Davis through his Disruptive Performers theatre group, which he formed with friend Gail Yearbury last year.
"I was a part of an after-school community drama group for youth and my class wanted a show to perform, but our tutor said that he wouldn't have enough time to arrange anything, so without even thinking, I just blurted out loud, 'I'll write something'," recalled Davis.
"Next thing I know, my whole class is backing me up and our drama tutor agreed. He gave me one week to throw together a rough copy and seven days later he had a completed first draft."
Blood High was written by local Tane Davis as a 15-year-old.
The show was well-received in Auckland back in 2000 and Davis' drama tutor asked him to write a sequel.
"But Blood High 2 is a story for another time. Blood High has always been near and dear to my heart because it's the first show I ever wrote that was actually performed. I have always wanted to redo an updated and modernised version of Blood High, I've just never had the right platform or support until now. So I am very excited to be revisiting this play that was such a big part of my teenage years."
Tyler Phillips (L Deane Horsford) and Tori Franklin (Ellen-Rose Calvert) with Xander Spencer (Rocco Masutti), Samantha Andrews (Breeze Parker-Watt) and Robby Winters (Kahli Graham) in the background. Photo / Ajay Fryer
Davis describes his play as a murder mystery/horror comedy with "so many shocking and surprising twists, you'll be hanging on to the edge of your seat until the very last scene".
It takes place in the small town of West Glade, where a prestigious boarding school becomes the focus of a police investigation after a beautiful teacher is found dead in her classroom late one night.
"Everyone believes that the death is a suicide due to Ms Bradley's supposed affair with a student, but Yasmine Kuiper, the deputy head girl at West Glade High, is adamant that she saw someone leaving the classroom just before the body was discovered. Convinced that there is a killer stalking the hallways of her school, Yasmine is determined to get to the bottom of what happened, and soon those who believe her version of events are coming up with their own theories on who the possible killer could be and why they would be seeking revenge on the school. No one is safe and everyone is a suspect."
The show involves a cast of 16 ranging in age from 12 to 55. Davis said auditions attracted a strong turnout, especially from teenagers.
"We had such a good turnout that it made casting very hard. I wish I could have cast everyone who auditioned because they were all amazing performers, but that would've doubled the cast size and we would be looking at a very different show."
Continued Davis: "I am extremely proud of my cast. They make every rehearsal a joy to be at. They are so engaged and they aren't afraid to make fools of themselves on stage. They walk into rehearsal smiling and they leave rehearsal smiling. It's an amazing feeling to watch a group of people enjoy and want to be a part of something that you have written."
As a 15-year-old, Davis was a fan of horror movies and, he said, those familiar with the likes of Scream will recognise the obvious homages Blood High pays to it.
"With Blood High, we aim to have the audience members feel the exact same way they do when they watch a horror movie at home. The only difference is that they could literally reach out and touch the people as it is happening live, in front of them. But the horror element is only one part of the experience people will get when watching Blood High, it is also a comedy and a murder mystery."
Billy Moore (Ben Hooper) is attacked by the West Glade Stalker. Photo / Ajay Fryer
He said that, after six months of rehearsing, the cast and crew still found themselves laughing at the jokes and situations in the script so "I think the audiences are in for a very wild, yet extremely enjoyable experience."
Blood High follows the success of Disruptive Performers' first show, The Terrible Fate of Humpty Dumpty, earlier this year and will be performed at OneOneSix, Bank St, Whangārei from June 17 – June 26. Tickets are $20 from Eventfinda.
