Students have been hard at work preparing for the upcoming Upper School fall play, Noses Off. Noses Off is a show like no other, requiring intensive physical comedy, choreographed fighting, and frequent instances of overlapping dialogue. Students were up for the challenge, creating the world of Noses Off with an infectious enthusiasm that shows on stage.
The show is a show within a show, and it’s about a team of rather chaotic techies, actors, and director. . . My favorite part would probably be the comedy.
-Ava Restuccia ’27
Noses Off follows the hilarious backstage antics of an amateur theater company struggling to put together their whodunnit show. With a revolving door of showmances, a costume designer bent on revenge, and an endless list of disagreements between actors and directors, Noses Off exists within a constant state of chaos. “The show really just becomes a case of what not to do in theater, with a bunch of really terrible people,” actor Kate LaGatta ’25 mentions. “But it’s funny. It’s really fun.”
As a stage manager, I control all the lights and sound. So I’m watching for what the actors are doing–like pressing a button–and then make it happen in real life.
-Alex Fox ’25
Much of the chaotic fun of Noses Off is created offstage, with stage managers, technicians, and costume designers working meticulously to immerse the audience. Hannah Sender ’25, who has been tasked with designing the hair and makeup for the show, mentions how dissecting the script was a major component of her work. “I had to think about how the characters would look in real life, what they would wear, how they’d wear their hair and makeup.”
With multiple scenes featuring physical sparring and romance, students engaged in specialized rehearsals to ensure they were prepared to safely bring the script to life. Actors met with a professional fight choreographer to prepare for the show. Additionally, actors Henry Diver ’26 and Mia Kelley ’25 opted to take leadership positions as “fight captains,” assisting their cast mates with stage fighting. “Originally I was nervous to see a ‘fight call’ on my schedule,” actor Ava Restuccia ’27 admits. “But our wonderful fight captains Henry and Mia helped us run the scenes and made sure everyone was safe and happy.”
Performances of Noses Off will take place on Wednesday, October 30 at 7:00 p.m., Friday, November 1 at 7:00 p.m., and Saturday, November 2 at 2:00 p.m. in Bradley Hall. Tickets can be purchased here.
“You should come and see this show because it really is funny,” actor Kate LaGatta ’25 says. “There are cues that go wrong, there’s a lot of water splashing, there’s a lot of missing pieces and breaking things. It’s a technical masterpiece.”