BHS students and David Stephens are working together to bring us ‘Fools’ by Neil Simon this spring. The spring has brought a new play to Baldwin City since 2010.

“I’m most excited to see how much the audiences will laugh.” Stephens said. “The cast is having a great time, and the play is completely ridiculous, so I think people will think it’s all pretty funny.”

The play will be presented on Friday, April 5, and the following Saturday at 7 pm. The cast has about seven weeks for rehearsal, and the last couple weeks will be used for tech work.

“We’ll construct the set and do the painting on and off whenever we have time,” Stephens said.

The students of the cast have work to do on their own time. They have to memorize lines and practice their timing for on and off stage actions.

“I have spent some time developing my character,” sophomore Jillian Markway said. “And I plan to spend more time really dissecting the script to improve my understanding of it and my performance.”

The ten cast members have been working since Feb. 11. The characters spend every evening with each other, Monday through Thursday for two or more hours.

“The best part of being a part of this cast is the relationships and friendships that develop between cast members,” Markway said.

The cast members spend a lot of time together so they get to know one another quite well. They learn new things about each other and develop their characters with the help of their peers.

“I really like that there are a lot of things we can do to make it seem funnier,” sophomore Blake Leslie said. “And it usually work because everybody is supposed to be stupid in the play.”