by Dennis Dalman
“Proven Guilty,” a comedy-infused murder-mystery play written by St. John’s Prep School senior Annika Dauer, premiered Oct. 25 at the school’s Weber Center.
The play was also performed on Oct. 26 and 27 and will be performed on Nov. 1, 2 and 3. For two of those performances (Oct. 25 and now on Nov. 1), playgoers had the option of a pre-play dinner catered by Jule’s Bistro in the theater starting at 6 p.m. before the show at 7:30 p.m.
All performances start at 7:30 p.m. except for two Sunday matinees that begin at 2 p.m. (Oct. 27 and Nov. 3) Unfortunately, the dinner-theater options are sold out, but for non-dinner ticket information, see “Tickets” toward the end of this story.
Another unique aspect of “Proven Guilty” is it will be performed by two alternating casts to allow more students to be involved in a theatrical experience.
The play’s plot
The following is the basic plotline of “Proven Guilty.”
On All Hallow’s Eve of 1995, a dinner party is held at the Upstate New York manor of Dr. Julian Fox. He is an enigmatic millionaire and owner of the “Sunrise Sentinel,” known for its dedication to exposing corruption among the high-ranking members of government. By the end of the night, the media mogul will be dead, and not a soul alive can tell what really happened. Now, it’s up to Detective-Inspector Ethel Carter and her dedicated team of officers to sort out the truth locked within the twisting halls of memory. The catch? All of the suspects are firmly convinced they themselves are to blame.
The play combines mystery, comedy and unreliable narrators in its subverted take on the classic “Whodunnit” genre.
St. John’s Prep eighth-grade student Theo Reisinger plays the role of Dr. Julian Fox. Cerys John, a sophomore will star as Inspector Ethel Carter. For more cast members and crew, see “Casts” further down in this story.
Annika Dauer
Playwright Dauer, who is deeply involved in studying theater, was given what’s called a “capstone” project to hone her playwrighting talents – the result being “Proven Guilty,” which she meticulously wrote and rewrote over an 18-month period. A capstone project is the high-school equivalent of a university student completing a master’s or doctoral thesis.
Dauer, also a superb singer, performed in many musical plays during her years at St. John’s Prep. She is especially fond of Irish folk music and recently performed an Irish folk tune for the school while playing a ukulele. Dauer is also an exceptional violinist and describes herself as a “nerd who enjoys arranging songs I loved hearing in some of my favorite shows and movies.”
Brandon Anderson
“Proven Guilty” is directed by St. John’s Prep Theater Director/Instructor Brandon Anderson.
During an interview with the Newsleaders, Anderson talked about the play and his life in theatrical pursuits.
“It’s cleverly written,” he said. “Three suspects actually think they did kill Dr. Julian Fox. And the investigating detective becomes overwhelmed and stressed. It’s great fun to see all the perspectives of the people in the play, all those skewed perspectives.”
The stage set of the play, which Anderson designed, consists of an interrogation room with the other two-thirds of stage space serving as a dining room and the living room of Dr. Julian Fox.
The play’s lighting design is by William St. Hilaire; its technical director is Jonathan Trude.
The background music, Anderson said, is practically “another character.”
Playgoers, he said, are in for a stunning surprise ending. Anderson said they are likely to exclaim, “Oh, really?! Is that what was going on?! You’ve gotta be kidding me!”
Anderson joined St. John’s Prep School staff seven years ago. Two years later he accepted the job as theater director/instructor, taking the position previously held for 25 years by Father Paul-Vincent Niebauer, who still takes a keen interest in the school’s theater performances and does outreach media publicity for them.
Born and raised in Clear Lake, Anderson graduated from St. John’s Prep School and then studied in England at the Birmingham Royal Conservatory. Back in the United States he began an acting career in Los Angeles, later signed with an agent in New York City, then took a job in South Korea, a kind of “theater school” tasked with helping South Korean students learn English. That good experience convinced him to take the job at St. John’s Prep School.
There are 280 students at St. John’s Prep School, grades 6-12.
Show times
The show times for four of the six performances are at 7:30 p.m. – the two exceptions being the Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.
The two dinner-theater options offered two choices: a Tuscan chicken dinner and a vegan meal of stuffed bell pepper with veggies and plant-based Italian sausage.
Although it’s too late to get dinner tickets, people can still get performance-only tickets for the show on 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1. It will start right after the 6 p.m. dinner is done. Tickets (non-dinner) are $15 to see the play.
To order tickets, visit sjprep.net/theatre.
Casts
Another unique aspect of the production of “Proven Guilty” is that the show will alternate with two casts. The two main roles are played by the same students in every production, as noted above.
The other roles will be alternated as such:
Officer Casey Matthews: Zach Gordon, grade 7; and Yihan (Iris) Cao, grade 10.
Officer Kit Stewart: Natalie Nix, grade 6; and Jenny Jiang, grade 9.
Mr. Robert Simmons: Sam Dupuy, grade 10; and Ethan Whitehead, grade 9.
Ms. Marina Williams: Grace Hofer, grade 10; and Jayde BearsTail, grade 12.
Mr. David Peters: Aneka Bregendahl, grade 11; and Joon Sohn, grade 9.
Miss Jenny Hall: Riley Brookshire, 8; and Mady Lussier, grade 11.
The understudy for the police officer role is John Ruzanic, grade 8.
Technicians
The technicians for “Proven Guilty” are Selma Zayouna, grade 10; Lucy Dupuy, grade 7; Nora Dupuy, grade 7;
Milo Harkins, grade 10; Isabel Schwinghammer, grade 11; Violet Ditter, grade 10; and Erin Volker, grade 12.
SJP address
The St. John’s Prep school and its Weber Center (where the play will be performed) is at 2280 Water Town Road, Collegeville, MN 56321.
St. John’s Prep cast members enact a dramatic scene Oct. 23 during the rehearsal of “Proven Guilty.” They are ninth-grader Jenny Jiang of Dongguan, China; sophomores Cerys John of St. Cloud and Yihan (Iris) Jiang of Chengdu, China; junior Aneka Bregendahl of South Haven; eighth-grader Varrsha Chenthuran of St. Augusta; senior Jayde Bearstail of Red Lake; eighth-grader Theo Reisinger of St. Cloud and
ninth-grader Ethan Whitehead of Sartell.
St. John’s Prep cast members portray an interrogation scene Oct. 23 from their play, “Proven Guilty,” they are (front row, left to right) sophomore Grace Hofer of Miller, S.D., ninth-graders Joon Sohn of Seoul South Korea and Riely Brookshire of St. Cloud; (middle row) seventh-grader Zac Gordon of St. Cloud, sophomore Cerys John of St. Cloud and eighth-grader Theo Reisinger of St. Cloud; and (back row) sophomore Sam Dupuy of Sartell and sixth-grader Natalie Nix of St. Joseph.
John Ruzanic, Grade 8, of Cold Spring (left) receives training to operate the stage lights Oct. 23 from Will St. Hilaire, of St. Cloud.
