Cappies: St. Francis Xavier High School presents Foul Play

Published May 18, 2024 • Last updated 5 hours ago • 12 minute read

Evelyn Dinley played by Ruby Wallner (L), Xander Rogers played by Elizabeth Kile (C), Bowie Don played by Ariana Gomes (2ndFR), George Jones played by Nick Torres Ramos (R), during St. Francis Xavier High School’s Cappies production of Foul Play, held on April 19, 2024. Photo by Sadie Parent /Student

Show # 16

St. Francis Xavier High School

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Foul Play

Directors: Tamara Capyk and Julie Stevens

Lara Kylas, Lead Critic
Merivale High School

Schooby Schooby Doom, where are you? St. Francis Xavier High School’s performance of their original murder mystery Foul Play put a creative twist on everyone’s favourite murder mystery crew.

St. Francis Xavier’s own Reese Walker’s original script of Foul Play follows high school drama students preparing for their production, “Schooby Doom”, a dupe of Scooby Doo due to the drama program’s budget cuts. When the lead of the production is mysteriously murdered before the first curtain call, the rest of the cast sets out to solve the mystery and find the killer before they lose more students. A farcical production, Foul Play is a humorous “play within a play” filled with dramatic irony, red herrings, and iconic Scooby-Doobian cliches.

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Izzy Bergevin took on the role of the first victim of the play, Violet Blake. Bergevin opened the production with a posthumous monologue and set the tone for the play with phenomenal expression, clearly demonstrating to the audience that spotlight-loving Violet is not to be tested, even beyond the grave. Nick Torres Ramos, playing Blake’s love interest George Jones, encapsulated the heart of the gang, nailing the delivery of the play’s humorous lines and portraying Jones’ good intentions despite him not being the brightest addition to the crew. Evelyn Dinley’s problem solving and quick wit was done justice by Ruby Wallner’s acting, demonstrating the character’s determination and dedication to cracking the case. Iconic duo Bowie and Xander (otherwise known as Scooby and Shaggy) perfected the chemistry between the renowned boy meets dog pairing, bringing laughs and lots of snacks to the set.

George Jones played by Nick Torres Ramos (L), Xander Rogers played by Elizabeth Kile (2ndFL), Lilith Sinclair played by Layla Ghadban (C), Violet Blake played by Izzy Bergevin (FC), Bowie Don played by Ariana Gomes (2ndFR), Evelyn Dinley played by Ruby Wallner (R), during St. Francis Xavier High School’s Cappies production of Foul Play, held on April 19, 2024. Photo by Sadie Parent /Student

The supporting characters of the show shone. Layla Ghadban’s expressions and line delivery nailed the role of coffee addicted princess Lilith Sinclair. Violet Blake’s mother, played by Emily Bahm, had fantastic stage presence, still making her voice heard off stage by humorously interacting with the audience. Rex Klenavic made the most of the role of Gus Sutton, the school’s creepy janitor, making the audience crack up with his every move. Reese Walker kept the audience on their toes with the creation and delivery of the complex role of Kali Hendrix. While credit is due to playwright Walker’s brilliant character creation, this cast’s amazing acting skills ensured that this play was done justice.

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This production’s technical aspects stood out for their precision and polish. The lighting team, consisting of Sam Morin, Layla Levesque, and Tristan Roy, brought the play to life with their innovative and unique uses of colour and movement to create a sense of engagement. The lights were almost actors themselves, illustrating tension, drama, humour, and conveying a story. Camryn Brosseau and James Samiotis’s sound team tastefully accentuated key moments in the play, with dramatic music buildups and hilariously unexpected sound effects.

St. Francis Xavier High School’s talented cast and crew brought the play of one creative student to life. Jinkies!

Steffi Brinskelle, Critic
St. Pius X High School

Imagine a school, like any other. A teacher, trying to make her low-budget production work. A group of theatre students, dedicated to putting on a mysterious detective musical. Now imagine it falling to pieces as a real-life murder sets a dagger in the delicate balance of an amateur production. St. Francis Xavier High School’s Foul Play hilariously explored what happens when a high school theatre production goes awry, and the complexity of cracking a case where motives are everywhere.

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Written by grade 12 student Reese Walker in 2023, Foul Play takes place at the ordinary East Bridge High School, where a group of students are preparing for opening night of their low-budget detective musical, “Schooby-Doom”. Suddenly, just hours before the curtain opens, the lead of the show is murdered and the killer hidden somewhere in the school. While last-minute changes are made to keep the show running, the rest of the cast need to work together to become detectives outside of their roles to prevent themselves from being the next victims.

The creativity of Foul Play’s script stood out, all the more so because it was fully written by a member of the cast, Reese Walker. With an easy-to-follow plot and clever, witty jokes often containing pop culture references and breaking the fourth wall through cast interaction with the audience, Walker nailed the detective mystery style of the play, especially the ending in which the murderer is revealed.

Izzy Bergevin excelled at embodying the snobby rich girl with a dream of being on Broadway that was Violet Blake. Using grand arm gestures while walking across the stage with sass and recounting Violet’s death with exasperated sighs, Bergevin’s stage presence was palpable. In juxtaposition with Violet’s dynamic personality, Bergevin was equally skilled at maintaining the stillness of a dead body as Violet’s corpse was dragged across the floor, wheeled around on scooters, and fell out of closets. Nick Torres Ramos skillfully used devastated vocal intonation to portray how crushed student George felt after discovering that the girl he loved was dead. Ramos also showed the ability to act out the exaggerated farce by singing the Bee Gee’s “Staying Alive” through tears to perform CPR.

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The ensemble that was Elizabeth Kile and Ariana Gomes in the roles of Xander Rogers and Bowie Bon worked wonderfully together. The two embodied the inseparability of their duo by acting in sync, snacking on food or exiting the scene of the crime together for a trip to the vending machine. Playing the role of one of East Bridge’s tech crew members, Mary Ofili’s depiction of the emotional student who just wants the disaster to be over was memorable. Begrudgingly bringing props back out and sobbing after seeing the dead, Ofili was always entertaining.

Lighting following 87 cues was effective. Cool tones separated the addresses of the dead from the warmth of the living, while red light brought out the intensity of interrogation and love confession scenes. A few of the microphones cut out at moments, but the actors were otherwise heard clearly. The simplistic set and props were appropriate in reflecting the amateur production of the play-within-a-play. Handmade elements like the “murder mobile” and a whiteboard containing pictures of all the possible suspects added to the visual appeal.

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St. Francis Xavier High School’s cast and crew brought this creative production to life in a strikingly creative fashion. With every detail from the actors’ lines to the fitting technical work poking fun at high school drama, not even death could stop the hilarity of this satire from shining through.

Cheyanne Auguste, Critic
St. Pius X High School

In a constellation among the stars, St Francis Xavier High School’s production of Foul Play shines brightly as it delves into a gripping murder investigation.

In this student-written play, Reese Walker brought a fresh twist to the murder mystery storyline. A high school drama club at East Bridge presents a low-budget familiar cartoon tale about murder, four pals, and a fun-loving dog best friend. East Bridge High School’s performance of the Schooby-Doom mystery is cut short when the lead actor, Daisy, dies unexpectedly before the show, leaving the lead actors to figure out who murdered their lead actor. This production is a farcical interpretation with interactive sequences, ironic plays within plays, and suspicion among cast members.

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St Francis Xavier High School put on a brilliant presentation of Foul Play, which had emotional connections, unexpected love, and a cast of dynamic characters including Violet, Evelyn, George, Zander, and Bowie the dog. The cast displayed a wide spectrum of emotions when the inclusion of LGBTQIA2S+ love appears and allows the modernistic setting to flourish.

This ensemble play resembles the importance of recognizing the characters who support the plot as well as captivate the stage. The participants took on the challenge of telling the story that most know well, and with that, they created a notable performance with exceptional attention to detail and a mesmerizing stage presence.

Bowie Don played by Ariana Gomes (L), Xander Rogers played by Elizabeth Kile (R), during St. Francis Xavier High School’s Cappies production of Foul Play, held on April 19, 2024. Photo by Sadie Parent /Student

Mary Ofili and Alex Rivard, as Tech 1 and 2, gave performances that captured the depth of each character. The ensemble combo played roles that frequently demonstrated synergy as they bounced off each other during each powerful scene. Ofili demonstrated imaginative emotion as they played the feisty yet humorous role, providing excellent comedic relief. Rivard employed body language to deliver a magnificent performance and charismatic motion to command attention on stage.

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The cast and crew of Foul Play brought detail within the unique set design of East Bridge High School. Through the use of 81 manual lighting cues, 123 sound cues, 18 wires, and vibrant red lighting to highlight the potential suspects, the cast and crew thoroughly used context clues to converse the plot. Not only did the cast create an energetic auditorium, but the crew made use of showing rather than telling, making for an exceptional yet realistic story.

Congratulations, St Francis Xavier High School for the successful performance of Foul Play. With the use of a good cast, efficient crew, and a powerful playwright, the show truly captured the essence of suspense and a thrilling murder mystery.

Kendall Clarke, Critic
St. Pius X High School

Zoinks! We’ve got a mystery on our hands at East Bridge High School, where a group of drama students must work together and become detectives to discover the truth about a shocking incident backstage. Grab your magnifying glass, hop into the Mystery Mobile, and solve the mystery with St. Francis Xavier High School where the Coyote Cast and Crew put on a strong, vibrant performance of Foul Play.

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An original, student-written farce about the complexities of drama performance arts, the story explores themes of mystery, friendship, and relationships. Set in the modern day, the cast of the drama guild encounters a deadly surprise on the opening night of their knock-off play Schooby Doom: the murder of their lead actress, Violet Blake! With the time ticking until the curtains open on their performance, the students must take a stab at finding the murderer before more tragedies occur.

Reese Walker accomplished an impressive creative feat as the playwright of Foul Play, dedicating multiple months of writing to develop an engaging, mysterious story with clever humour, twists and turns, as well as imaginative plot sequences. Writing approximately 67 pages of script for a two-act play with opportunities for double casting, Walker’s first individually-written play was a significant success.

Violet Blake played by Izzy Bergevin (L), Lilith Sinclair played by Layla Ghadban (C), Opal Forrest played by Adelyne Scheltema (R), during St. Francis Xavier High School’s Cappies production of Foul Play, held on April 19, 2024. Photo by Sadie Parent /Student

All eyes were on Izzy Bergevin, who delivered a killer performance as the sassy spirit and catty popular girl Violet Blake. With vibrant facial expressions, impassioned speeches, and confident body language, Bergevin effectively characterized the personality of the character in life and death. Bergevin demonstrated a remarkable commitment to her role throughout the entire performance, even as a lifeless body.

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Emily Bahm refused to share the spotlight as Sharon Blake, the passionate and obnoxious mother of Violet. As the character interacted with the audience, screamed and argued, and got dragged off the stage, Bahm’s depiction of hysterical grief and anger was a major form of physical comedy in the play. Ariana Gomes was lovable as the comedic canine companion, Bowie “Bow” Don, bringing a level of humour with exasperation, sarcasm, and a silly fondness for snacks, even during the most serious of times. A theatrical, extravagant drama teacher, Adelyne Scheltema conveyed the essence of Opal Forrest through her expressive body language and vocal tones.

The minimalist tech elements served to augment the intended atmosphere of a relatable, cheeky high school comedy. The sound design team and operators were successful in incorporating well-timed sound bites for additional comedic effects, as was evident from the investigation sequence. The colourful lighting and spotlights also functioned well in establishing the mood and drawing attention to the performers.

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With notable effort and dedication, the cast and crew put on a delightful production, conveying the meaning of teamwork and friendship in overcoming obstacles. St. Francis Xavier High School’s performance of the unique Foul Play was overall a real treat!

Theo Pacey, Critic
Lester B. Pearson Catholic High School

BREAKING NEWS!! 2 Students and 1 faculty found dead, suspected cause: Murder. Foul Play, performed on St. Francis Xavier High School’s stage, unfolded the whole story. With drama, humour, and romance along the way, this play truly had it all.

Foul Play, written by St. Francis Xavier’s very own student Reese Walker takes place at East Bridge High School on opening night of their show “Schooby-Doom”. With hints to the childhood classic “Scooby-Doo”, the play follows the story of four high schoolers investigating the murder of their lead actress Violet Blake — whose dad is single handedly funding the entire low budget show. With no lead, how will the play go on? As their play starts to become the reality, watch as more of the cast begins to die, turning the pressure up for the four students to find the murderer.

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Performing from the after-life as a ghost, Violet Blake played by Izzy Bergevin continued to show off the attitude behind the character. Whether this was through Bergevin’s sassy hair tosses or sly glances at other actors, Bergevin always made sure to keep Violet’s stage presence known. Whenever Violet was dead on stage, Bergevin was sure to stay absolutely motionless, creating the lasting illusion that the death was real.

Despite the limited stage time, Rex Klenavic created a hilarious interpretation for the character of Gus Sutton. Each and every comment or moment on stage from Klenavic was always met with laughter from all around. Even with the performer’s connection with the other characters, it was easily distinctive that Gus was supposed to be “weird” based off of the physical differences between all other characters and Sutton. Through the hunched back, to the quick glances and fast movements, the elements given by Klenavic were eloquently able to display the hilarious personality while still carrying the show along. Great job Rex!

Principal Hayes played by Keniyah Hinds (L), Xander Rogers played by Elizabeth Kile (2ndFL), Kali Hendrix played by Reese Walker (3rdFL), George Jones played by Nick Torres Ramos (3rdFR), Evelyn Dinley played by Ruby Wallner (2ndFR), Bowie Don played by Ariana Gomes (R), during St. Francis Xavier High School’s Cappies production of Foul Play, held on April 19, 2024. Photo by Sadie Parent /Student

Mary Ofili and Alex Rivard used their combined skills to draw the audience into what the reality of being tech for a show is like. Ofili, as Tech 1, displayed the dramatic sighing and comedic sobbing of asking the forever question of “When can I go home ?”. Equally balanced out by Rivard, as Tech 2, who calmed the crying and was always by Mary’s side. The two different reactions and character display for these characters created a glowing contrast between an introverted tech and its extroverted counterpart. Ofili and Rivard were both able to hold a lasting stage presence both on their own and together which really elevated their characters.

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The sound department, led by James Samiotis and Camryn Brosseau, elevated the entire show. Through using many Pop-Culture references such as “Jaws”, “Law & Order”, and “Jeopardy”, the sound crew were able to create hilarious moments for the audience to enjoy.

With Sam Morin on lights, the play was able to have lights that accurately displayed the time, tone, and mood behind each and every scene. During quick light changs, Morin was able to accurately time the lights to the actors. The spotlight provided an extreme amount of clarity to differentiate the living from the dead and was mostly centred on the intended character.

St. Francis Xavier High School’s production of Foul Play was a hilarious and dramatic farce of the many aspects of theatre. This was all thanks to an impeccable cast and amazing support from tech, and after all that work maybe the gang can finally get a snack.

About the reviews:

The St. Francis Xavier High School production was reviewed by 27 critics representing 6 schools. The critic discussions were mentored by teacher Fadi El-Saikali of St. Patrick’s High School and student reviews were edited and selected for publication by teacher Adrian Darling of Merivale High School, who could see only the reviews, not the names or schools of the reviewers.

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Next review: St. Mother Teresa High School’s production of Elsewhere.

About the Cappies:

The Citizen and 20 high schools are participating in the Cappies, a Washington, D.C.based program that uses high school critics to review high school theatre. The program is a unique partnership between the Ottawa Citizen, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and the Ottawa Catholic School Board. Two schools from other boards in the region and one private school have also joined. The four winners of the lead acting categories will receive a bursary provided by the international law firm Gowling WLG Canada LLP. Follow Canada’s Capital Cappies on X (formerly known as Twitter) and Instagram @OttawaCappies.

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