The Granada theater department is finally back with their first show of the year, “Everybody.” You’ve probably heard about the play through teachers, the announcements, or other students, but here’s everything you need to know about “Everybody” plus some fun behind-the-scenes details.

Written in 2018, “Everybody” is a fresh, new play that asks the question: when your life is over, how would you justify ever being alive in the first place? The main character of the play is tasked with justifying having been alive and tries to find the thing or things that can justify life. Mr. Watts, an English and Theater teacher, provides some insight into the message of “Everybody” explaining, “There’s a lot of things people might immediately say: oh, I’ll use this, I’ll talk about this, I can do that. Then they may find there are issues with that, they may not be as good or as perfect of an example. The message is going to be what works and what doesn’t…people [will] want to discuss and talk about if they agree with what the main character eventually takes with them.”

There are many reasons why “Everybody” is a special play, including a lot of fun details and moments that don’t normally happen in the theater. One of these exciting details is that at the beginning of every performance, the actors don’t know what characters they’re playing. Watts elaborated, “…there is a real, live, random lottery held in front of the audience where these characters find out what roles they’re playing. So that means, from a rehearsal standpoint, all of those actors had to learn all the lines and all the stage movements for all the characters they could potentially be cast as.”

If you come to see “Everybody,” you’ll also catch a special performance by the Granada Hip-Hop Club which will be joining the theater department for a show for the first time. There’s also going to be a lot of audience interaction, as Mr. Watts stated, “Breaking the fourth wall is done on a pretty regular basis where the characters are very much aware that the audience is there. And they often talk to the audience.”

Attending a performance of “Everybody” is also a great way to show support for Granada’s theater department as they will also be selling merchandise such as stickers and keychains designed by students and supplied by local businesses. Mr. Watts is also very proud of his actors, who have done a lot of work on the play such as creating costumes, designing the set, and perfecting the look of the show.

“Everybody” is a creative, deep play but it’s still entertaining and a great show. “Even though this is a dramatic show with what sounds like a very heavy topic, there is levity, there is humor, it is an entertaining show and while it is going to prompt a lot of soul-searching style questions, you’re also going to be laughing. You’re going to be enjoying the experience and ultimately at the end of the show it does end on a hopeful note,” said Watts.

If you would like to see “Everybody,” it runs from November 9-12 with four evening performances starting at 7 pm and a Wednesday night matinee starting at 3 pm. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $8 with ASB and are at a special price of $5 for the Wednesday matinee. Come and support Granada theater and we hope to see you there.