FORKS — This winter, the drama club members at Forks High School wanted to stretch.
And now that they’ve done so, the young actors are feeling a sweet sense of accomplishment, as they’re ready to put “Tracks” on stage for the first time tonight.
“Tracks,” a play by Peter Tarsi, is the club’s winter drama — an unusual presentation by the school, which usually just puts on a spring comedy.
But the club members, who meet five afternoons a week to rehearse, wanted “a serious drama filled with deep characters and strong issues,” said their coach, Wendy Bennett.
In “Tracks,” a group of strangers find themselves in a subway station, unsure of how they arrived there.
After a discussion, the characters realize they’re all deceased.
So, they set about figuring out where the oncoming train will take them: heaven or hell.
The play progresses through their conversations and confessions, and barrels toward “quite the twist at the end,” said Joey Heuring, the Forks High School senior who portrays a professor in the play.
The climax “throws you for a loop,” Heuring added.
The one-act “Tracks” runs one hour, with curtain time at 7 p.m. today and Saturday and matinees at 2 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday in the Commons at Forks High School, 161 E. E St.
General admission is $5, while the school offers family passes to admit four people to all four performances for $40. For a single patron to attend all four shows, it’s $10.
Rich storyline
The best thing about “Tracks” is the rich storyline, said one of the actors, Anastasia Fleck, 15.
“It’s not just about what’s on the surface,” said Fleck, who plays a high school girl in the play.
“You’ll be surprised at the ending,” she added. “It leaves you thinking, which is cool.”
Fittingly, Tarsi, the writer of “Tracks,” is a high-school physics teacher in Attleboro, Mass., by day and the adviser to the school’s drama club by night.
Bennett, for her part, said she’s immensely proud of the 10 actors in “Tracks.”
“They have really come a long way through this production,” she said, “and have proven that they can handle the serious nature of this show as well as they do the slapstick comedies.”
Forks High’s drama club will put on a spring comedy, too, Bennett added.
For now, the performers are looking forward to presenting their work this weekend.
The drama club has practiced on weeknights, Saturdays and at home on the phone, Fleck said.
“It’s like a sport,” in that it demands much after-school commitment, Heuring added.
“The finished product,” said Fleck, “is so rewarding.”
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-417-3550 or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.