BY STEPHEN H. COWLES/CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Playback58@gmail.com

FRANKLIN—Two Franklin High School students will participate in the upcoming production of “Eleven Ways to Screw Up Your College Interview.”

Abigail Idisi, a senior, and Sara Lyons, an eighth-grader, are two of the 16 actors in the one-act comedy. Both are looking forward to doing the show.

“I love getting into character. It’s a whole lot of fun,” said Idisi. “I can’t even put into words.”

Last year she was in “This is a Test,” and her first show was as an eighth-grader in “Goldilocks and The Three Bears”

Acting is the career path she’s on, and hopes to make a name for herself some day. Idisi credits her mother, Freida Galloway for supporting her sister, Rosemarie – who will also be in the play — and herself. That encouragement extends to their going to auditions when available.

Like Idisi, Lyons also has aspirations to be on Broadway. For now she enjoys the local stage. Three years ago she was one of the Lost Girls in a production of “Peter Pan” at the Suffolk Cultural Center.

“I was really happy about that,” said Lyons, who has also played in “Godspell.”

“I enjoy singing,” she added with a giggle, something else she does a lot.

The girls have a scene together where Idisi interviews Lyons about her unorthodox application for college.

Putting all this together are Teri Zurfluh, volunteer director. She’s quick to credit Vivian Christie as a needed assistant. Both women are veterans of the Franklin Little Theater and learned from Ken Raybuck and Ed Barton.

“Last year the legendary director, Raybuck, retired,” said Zurfluh. “He had really resurrected the Franklin High’s theater program.”

She added that at the time of his leaving, the drama students were “on fire” and wondering what they could do next. A directors’ workshop last spring served as a catalyst for her to get involved. Teachers who were asked to help were unable due to their work schedules. Zurfluh knocked on Christie’s door and said if Vivian would help, she’d endeavor to direct a new play.

“We’ve a great cast of mixed experience,” said Zurfluh, who acknowledged there were lots of rookies this year.

“We came prepared with three different plays,” said Christie, who added that ultimately there weren’t enough people to do the two bigger shows. Thirteen in the cast are student athletes, so rehearsals, which have been going on since mid-February, had to held around their schedules.

The limited number of actors available also required the director to go from playwright Ian McWethy’s original 13 to 11 ways.

“This is too important to let this die,” said Zurfluh about the school theater program. “Theater builds confidence and learning to work together as a team.”

Others adult volunteers working with the two women are lighting designer Charles Darden and lighting assistant Josh Raybuck, both Franklin Little Theater alumni. Darden intends to teach students about lighting. Sound technician Kim Kreider and makeup tutor Kathy Naughton are also helping.

The play will be performed at 7 p.m. April 25-27 in the school auditorium. There will be no admission charge, but donations will be welcomed.

For more details, call Zurfluh at 647-6823, or Christie at 635-8588.