The Department of Theatre and Dance presented a devised musical cabaret inspired by the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories, where the students performed a fun, detective-themed show featuring songs and dance constructed by the cast and crew.

On Dec. 6, The Birthday Surprise – A Mystery for our Favorite Girl Detective was performed in Bunce Hall. The performance was devised and directed by Professor Jessica Arnold, Dr. Leslie Elkins, and Dr. Christopher Roche. 

Jessica Arnold, one of the directors of the performance, grew up loving the Nancy Mysteries, to which she thought of the devised cabaret earlier this year in the spring after coming across the book covers again. Elkins and Roche felt that the idea was great, and they spent June coming up with prompts to include in the show, extending the creativity to the cast once rehearsals came around. 

“The process was so much fun, genuinely the most fun I’ve ever had in a show. The directors gave us a sort of outline for the show, but the whole cast and the directors and everyone pretty much all wrote it together. We even chose a few of the songs, which was really awesome,” said Noelle Coburn, a freshman theater major who played Bess in the show. 

For many of the performers, this was their first time being in a show where they were able to help devise it themselves with the directors. During the rehearsal process, much of the time was taken up by writing the script, blocking the different scenes, and sharing ideas with one another when creating the show. 

“I think, honestly, all of the cast memories, like even the memories we have with the directors. There was one day where it was the day we finished writing the script, and we literally sat in a dance studio for, I would say, probably like an entire rehearsal … We were bouncing ideas off each other, and then at the end, we were like, wait, we just finished the show,” said Elise Carey, a senior theater education major who played Nancy.

The show allowed the audience to come along on the journey with the characters, being able to solve the mystery with the cast. There were also big themes and messages that came along with the performance that the cast hoped that the audience would take away from the show. 

“There’s a big theme of feminine independence that Nancy Drew really brings to the story. I hope that they walk away with that cool idea in their head, because I think it’s pretty cool that a lot of shows are bringing ideas like that out and making them more aware. I would say I hope they walk away with the joy of seeing a really cool mystery story,” said Noah Colon, a sophomore theater acting major who played the role of Ned Nickerson.

Cast members said that being able to create the story themselves with the directors really brought them closer together during rehearsals and throughout the show, which was reflected on the stage show night. The performance was different for both the audience and the performers, with the devised performance bringing a new and creative story to the stage. 

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