Eleven actors to play 57 characters in Notre Dame's production of 'The Dining Room'

Notre Dame Regional High School's theater department will perform "The Dining Room," a play written by A.R. Gurney, on Nov. 3, 4 and 5 in the Notre Dame Cafetorium.

Four actors and seven actresses will play as many as seven roles each, according to Cindy King, director of the theater arts program at Notre Dame.

Fifty-seven characters of various ages and accents will float in and out of the 18 interrelated vignettes happening in different time periods of the 20th century, according to the school's online event page.

The scenes explore the role the dining room plays in a changing American culture, and each scene introduces a new set of people and events: a father lectures his son on grammar and politics, for example, and a senile mother doesn't recognize her own sons at Thanksgiving dinner, the school website explains.

The author's suggestion, the website states, is that the dining room setting is extinct in today's American culture; yet it is a room that reveals universal themes of family relationships. According to Gurney, the dining room holds is a unique symbol of tradition, unity and stability. Today's meals are often eaten in the kitchen or living room. Therefore, the table has become "unglued" and the family has lost its center. But, it is still in the dining room that big events and holidays are celebrated and family councils are convened.

From left, Sean Murphy, Claire Conaway and Nick Kelley act out a scene during a dress rehearsal Tuesday for Notre Dame's fall play, "The Dining Room."ANDREW J. WHITAKER

The cast, which has been rehearsing for the play for the past two months, faces unique challenges because of the multiple characters they play.

"The difficulty is if you play two different characters back to back," King explained.

The way the cast members handle the quick character changes is with minor costume changes, she said.

"For example, if [the actor] goes from playing an architect to playing a little kid, he might have his sleeves rolled up when playing the architect and then rolled down when playing the child," she said. "And if [the actor] is quickly switching to play an older character, for example, they might put on a soft sweater."

King is no stranger to directing high-school theater productions, as she has been doing so at Notre Dame for the past 45 years. She had multiple reasons for choosing "The Dining Room" as this year's fall production.

Caroline Heckemeyer acts out a scene during a dress rehearsal for Notre Dame's fall play, "The Dining Room," Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016, at Notre Dame Regional High School in Cape Girardeau.ANDREW J. WHITAKER

"We actually did this play back in 2003," she said. "Part of the reason that I chose it was because I [recently] moved, so that didn't leave a lot of time to build sets. This play is also a great opportunity for new cast members to get their feet wet."

The play, which King classifies as both a drama and a comedy, involves nearly 50 students between the onstage actors and the students running things behind the scenes.

Tickets for the play are $10 each and are for reserved seating. The play begins at 7 p.m. each night, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Tickets may be purchased at www.notredamehighschool.org or at the door.