Roseville High School’s Theatre Company faces a new challenge when preparing for their production of the comedic play Noises Off, as the set is two stories and must rotate. The set is based on 36 wheels that carry and turn the total 6,300 pounds.

Junior Emily Botnen, who plays Brooke, takes immense pride in the ornate set.

“The set is absolutely incredible,” Botnen said. “It’s beautiful. It’s painted on the front side and there’s a lot of details on the back side.”

According to junior actor Otter Conner-Bailey, having such an intricate set has imposed some challenges on the cast and crew.

“We’ve got a two story set and there’s a lot of running up and down stairs and moving props around on both levels of the stage,” Conner-Bailey said. “It’s hard to get around but we’re doing good.”

Drama teacher Ashley White enlisted her family to help and they have dedicated lots of time and labor to the set, something Botnen really appreciates.

“Ms. White and her parents and her brother have put in so many hours on our set, it’s incredible,” Botnen said. “[They] have been here super late nights into early mornings.”

White and her family spent two weeks using a 3-D modeling program to create a model to get accurate measurements to prepare for the construction of the set. The set has taken approximately 300 hours to build.

“Since October 2, work has continued and is still continuing,” White’s mom Kelly White said.

In the past, RHS’s Theatre Company has performed comedies, but according to White this upcoming play is much more fun and complex than past productions.

“It’s a very challenging but hilarious production,” White said. “The play is about a troupe of actors putting on a show called Nothing On. They’re not very good actors and everything’s kind of always falling apart. It’s completely chaotic.”    

Because some actors have two characters to play as, they have had to make certain adaptations in order to differentiate between the two.

“This show is all about timing. And about being super accurate with your two characters,” White said. “Different voice to use, or different posture. They’re still similar but different enough so that the audience can tell when you are that person.”

According to White, the cast she chose for the production is full of hard workers who are dedicated to progressing both themselves and the show as a whole.

“They are on top of the act. They studied their lines, they’ve had to study characters,” White said. “They come in and we just work, work, work. So it’s really exciting to see where we are and where we can be.”

Shows are Nov. 10, 12, 17 and 18 at 7:00 pm and Nov. 19 at 2:00 pm and 9:00 pm. Tickets are purchased at the door, $5 for students and $10 for adults