Instead of one fall play, the drama department this year will be producing three short one-act shows, each running about  half an hour. These one-acts include The Lottery, Mind Games, and The Actor’s Nightmare. Each show has a creepy and frightening theme to it, giving inspiration to the night’s overall theme, The Nightmare Zone.

Mrs. Angela Smithhisler provides a short preview of each theme:

1. The Lottery- The lottery you definitely don’t want to win.
2. Mind Games- It’s all in your head.
3. The Actor’s Nightmare- Imagine your worst day ever, on steroids.

The Lottery is directed by Cassia Connolly and Eileen Rich. Mind Games is directed by Garrett Wiehler, and The Actor’s Nightmare is directed by Emma Wynkoop and Lincoln Robisch. Overseeing all three shows are longtime director Damon Norko, new theatre teacher Angela Smithhisler, and drama club president and Class of 2017 member Sarah Maerten.

Rehearsals began in early September, and the show opens on November 10th.

The Lottery features the largest cast of the three shows, and includes members from all grades forming the small town presented in the play. Mind Games features a small cast of several grades, with senior Lincoln Robisch and junior Christian Howard as a psychiatrist and his patient. The Actor’s Nightmare is the only of the three shows that has an all-senior cast, and features Garrett Wiehler in the leading role of George Spelvin.

Norko in the brain behind the idea to branch out into individual one-act shows for the first time, as well as the theme of the night. He chose the theme to accompany the band and color guard’s Twilight Zone theme this season.

The idea for one-act shows gives opportunities for more cast members to be involved, since the shows all have different casts, and more seniors to have a chance to student direct.

This production is Smithhisler’s first experience with the drama department.

“My first experience as director is going wonderfully,” Smithhisler said. “My favorite part of directing is seeing the journey the actors go on. We start with such a rough version with the actors just reading out of their book, and by the end it’s grown into something everybody is comfortable with, and something I can be proud of too. It ends up being a beautiful masterpiece.”

Smithhisler says audiences can expect “a good overall theme of weirdness, with a bit of everything. They’ll laugh; they’ll be weirded out; they  may be a little confused, but at the end they’ll be left with a good final product I think they’ll be very happy they came to see.”

The Nightmare Zone opens November 10th at 7:00pm, and will have performances on the 11th at 7:00, the 12th at 2:00 and 7:00, and 13th at 2:00. Tickets are available now for online purchase at showtix4u.com for a price of $10, and will be available at the door at each performance. Follow the Linganore Drama twitter account (@LinganoreDrama) for updates on the show, and all future productions.