Drama squad brings merry mayhem in under ‘deadline’

Death is no laughing matter, but in this year’s spring play rendition of Don Zolidis’s Deadline, murder provides the perfect punchline. The West drama club performed this merry mayhem April 24-26 in Alberta Kimball Auditorium. The show follows eight mystery writers invited to the peculiar mansion of the infamous mystery author, Vera Braxton. The writers arrive with the understanding that they are writing to compete for a book deal. However, they come to find out that they’re actually competing to be the last writer standing…

English teacher and director Lexi Novak wanted to switch up genres after directing two very serious shows.

“I definitely try to vary between doing a comedy and a serious show. After doing Shakespeare for spring last year and doing a very serious show for the one act, I wanted to do something that was a little easier when it came to the wording. As well as something a little more fun and comedic,” she said. 

 Novak notes that the choice of a comedic show made the process slightly different compared to her other directorial choices. 

“Doing a different type of play was interesting; we definitely worked on different skills by doing a pure comedy,” she said. “Also having to work with a different section of the stage was interesting when it came to using microphones this year.”

The choice of the show and the different space proved to be a different experience for everyone. Novak hoped this would give actors and crew members critical skills for the future. 

“I think it’s been very fun working with a smaller set space, a majority of the cast is on stage most of the time, so I think that’s definitely been really fun to work with,” she said. “It was interesting to push the background acting as a skill and also trying to give more leadership to our crews and allow them to make more decisions.” 

The process was not only interesting for Novak but the cast as well. Sophomore Oliver VanThiel, who played Captain Meyers, noticed the cast focused quite a bit of time on lines this year. 

“We did so much line work; this is a very monologue heavy show especially with all the ‘aha’ moments between all the characters. A lot of the comedy came from quick one-liners and a lot of people struggled with that.” 

Novak also felt lines were a struggle for the cast.

“There was a lot of variance in the school schedule and personal lives so memorization was an issue this year,” she said.

Getting enough time in the performance space proved a major challenge and setback for the cast and crew. 

“We have to share the auditorium with the community,” Novak said. “It’s not owned by West so sometimes getting in there is quite challenging.”

For senior Aura Wallace, who played Vampetta, working closely with different actors proved difficult. 

“One of my challenges was working with different people than I’m used to, like Shelby,” she said. “I’ve never had a scene partner but she is a wonderful actress and I was so excited to work with her.” 

VanThiel was especially excited for this show as a chance to broaden their horizons as an actor. 

“I started doing plays as soon as I got here, and I have always been type casted as little boys so being cast as an evil old woman was super exciting. But also sort of channeling that was tough because I was never in a role like that before,” they said. “This show certainly expanded my acting experience so I can play any role and I think that Ms. Novak and Mr. Martilla saw that potential in me.” 

Senior Sam Raybern, who played Dellacroix, was also excited to play a different role to expand her experiences before college. 

“When I go to college I will be given roles that kind of stretch me as an actor, so I’m really glad that I was given Dellacroix, who’s a lot less funny and a lot more serious compared to the other characters and other roles that I’ve played,” she said. “So as someone who’s not really on stage that much, it’s really good to enjoy my character while knowing that I still have a really important role and a really important part in the show and that will hopefully help me with shows in college.” 

Although some of the actors were given different and challenging roles, Raybern loved the way the rest of the cast fit their characters. 

“I love what comedies do to a cast, like we were all joking around and having fun on stage. I loved working with the cast and I liked being in the wings more than on stage because then I get to see others shine and others bring out their characters,” she said. “I also really loved how perfectly everyone fit into their characters.”

Specifically, Wallace felt very close with her role, which helped her bring the character to its fullest potential. 

“I absolutely loved my character and I connected with her so much. She had an amazing sense of style so I was super excited to play her,” she said. 

Senior Wilson Clark, who played Carswell, was happy to have such a great show with a great cast for his last high school production. 

“I’m really glad to have my last show be a comedy. I also think it’s a really fun cast, everyone works off each other really well,” he said. “There’s a lot of little tiny bits everyone brings to the table. I’m just glad the last show has such a fantastic cast.”

Junior head of costume crew Clover Stiefvater enjoys being a part of the drama community. 

“The Oshkosh West theater department is special because of the people involved, every single student and the directors too, it’s just such a welcoming and warm environment, and I look forward to rehearsal every single day.”

Novak is extremely proud of the cast, especially those balancing many other activities. 

“My big thing is that I’m just really proud of all of the students,” she said. “A lot of them are doing multiple activities, including forensics, the Index, and even sports and I think it's awesome that they are able to balance that while also giving me their full commitment to the show.” 

Novak hopes that everyone involved in Deadline appreciates all the hard work they put in.

“I hope that the cast and especially the seniors look back on this show as something incredible that they did in high school and something to be extremely proud of; it is extremely difficult to get on stage or even be on crew and put on a show,” she said. “There are a ton of extra hours that go unnoticed and I just hope everyone is extremely proud of what they did and I hope that the community is able to see that as well.” 

by Isaac Considine-Buelow and Tenna Ruetten

Published April 27, 2026

Oshkosh West Index Volume 122 Issue VII