Quakertown Community Highschool hosted the fall play “Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery” November 18th through the 19th 2021. This was one of the first plays inside the school since 2019, so it marked a sense of normalcy within the theater with the past ones since COVID-19 being outside or virtual. Tickets were $5 in school and $10 at the door. The Main characters include Dr. Mortimer, Sir Henry, Sir Charles, and Watson. The actors play a role in breaking free and getting ready to bring their inner character out as well as immersing themselves in the world that they have created. 

Watson and Sir Henry uncover more about secret lives of the locals and have increasingly dangerous encounters with the legendary Hound. Holmes does some independent detective work of his own, and ultimately they discover the perpetrator, who is brought to justice. QHS hosted a scene of the play during third and fourth periods which showed very emotional fights just to give a preview to the students so they could later watch the full performance. The audience seemed greatly impacted and engaged by the scenes unfolding in front of them, and it left people wanting more. 

Some of the people within the play shared their experiences and emotions around performing the play. When Ryan Mott and Ty’Lain were asked how they felt in terms of readiness before their final performances, Ryan commented that he “thinks it’s going well since it’s they’re last rehearsal”. Ty’Lain agreed with the statement adding that “Everyone definitely has stuff to tweak but other than that everything is going well”. 

While the theater might be a nervous endeavor for the average person, those who have experience have a different take on it. Rachael Szabo personally is nervous but as soon as she gets on stage that all goes away and she’s able to live within the moment. While for Ty’Lain they are “not nervous and enjoy it”.

Overall, Baskerville and especially the in-person experience that hasn’t been seen in years marks a change for the better for theater in QCHS. The actors involved finally got to be on stage and feel the spotlight and attention of a live audience and while that breeds nerves it also breeds excitement. The engaging comedy and mystery aspects of the play seemed to be well-received by the audience members in the preview and lead to an enthusiastic audience on the days when they performed. Especially with how much they impressed this time around, we’ll be on the lookout for what they put out for the spring show and the amazing performances that are yet to come!