The Barnstable High School Drama Club will be putting on the production “She Loves Me” in March. The play focuses on two people who “don’t know it but are actually in love with each other; it’s a classic case of mistaken identity,” said senior Matthew Geiler.

Putting on a show involves much more than just what and who the audience sees on stage.There are a lot of factors for the Drama Club to think about when choosing their next play; they have to consider everyone, they need to think about the composition of the club, and want to choose something they can learn from. Eventually, it comes down to Directors Jeffrey Billard and Keith Caldwell to make the decision. Geiler explained that, after they decide on a show, they need to purchase the rights for the show. An online calculator tells them how much it is based off how many tickets they think they will sell and how many performances they will do. The pricing can be anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000.

There is tons of involvement from people all around the school. The school custodians help the drama club ‘any way they can’, said Geiler. There is also significant teacher and student involvement; students Maddie Lamothe, Lindsay Massarsky and Matt Geiler are the chief officers for the club, Bridget Conway and Maddie Sawyer are the lead painters, Harry Marcus is in charge of lighting, Destany Foley leads props and English teacher Brooke Styche choreographs the show. Display cases in the show are actually fish tanks donated by science teacher Diane Russell and Elizabeth Hanchuruck. Geiler said that the club firmly believes that “theatre is for everyone,” and, “it really does take a village,” to plan, practice and perform the shows.

It is a very big feat to plan a play. There is no financial support from the school, so the club must be self sufficient and rely on grants. In specific cases, six seconds of choreography may take 45 minutes of practice to complete and get right. Performances can be very complex. Students stay after school until 5:30 p.m. and practice on the weekends.

Once the play is finished, the work doesn’t end. On “opening night we’re always bustling, for crew it’s always important to be on your toes,” said Destany Foley, a crew member in charge of props, “but while the show is actually happening, everyone is really having a blast playing their part and putting in everything they can.”

A play is a school and community wide event. Students work super hard on the productions, and other students become involved by seeing the play performed. “The involvement of students and the community is really really cool. In the end everyone comes around to watch a story unfold and everything you put into it becomes a reality,” said Foley.

“She Loves Me” will be performed March 16, 17, 23, and 24 at 7 p.m. and March 18 and 24 at 2 p.m..