Jesuit hosted their annual Stage and Film Fall drama. Night of the Living Dead, a horror play based on a zombie apocalypse, took place from October 30 all the way until November 2nd and lasted about an hour. Between the two casts, the show was a massive success.
Plot
The show starts with two characters, Barbra and Johnny, at a cemetery to visit their father’s grave. Johnny keeps on teasing Barbra when suddenly Barbra is attacked by a zombie. Trying to protect her, Johnny gets eaten. Barbra runs away and finds herself in a house with five other people in a cellar (another word for basement): Harry, Helen, Kevin, Judy, and Tom. The main character, Ben, finds the house and tries to find supplies and protect the house. When Harry and Tom get out of the cellar, Harry fights Ben about whether they should stay on the main floor or stay in the cellar. Ben wants to stay on the main floor, but Harry wants to stay in the cellar.
Alex Ramsey as Ben. (Credit: Pedro Rios ’28)
This constant bickering between the two would go on throughout the play as Harry, Ben, Tom, and Judy try to take care of Barbra, listen to the news via the radio, and keep zombies out. They would board up doors and windows and would even throw Molotov cocktails. Meanwhile, Helen would take care of the sick child Kevin, who got bitten by a zombie. Things get really bad when more and more zombies accumulate at the house and Tom and Judy get eaten while being outside. On top of this, Ben ends up shooting Harry because Harry was holding Ben at gunpoint. When Harry dies, Kevin wakes up as a zombie and begins eating Harry’s dead body, then stabs Helen and eats her too. Finally, the play ends with Ben getting shot by the deputies before they are eaten by all of the other zombies in the house.
Cast #1 (Thursday and Friday shows)
Cast one was filled with a ton of talent as they also had to deal with the tough task with preforming on Halloween. Additionally, on the Thursday show, cast one performed in front of a sold-out crowd. Nevertheless, they did not disappoint. People like Andre Cornejo ’26 (Ben), Everett Bier ’27 (Harry), Gabriel Miller ’26 and Pedro Rivera ’26 (both played Tom), Evan Jue ’28 (Johnny), and Cole Badrina ’28 (Kevin), perfectly executed their main roles in the play.
“cast #1 made things very fun during the production of the play while also keeping things focused and giving me tips to better my acting.”
– COle badrina ’28
Cast #2 (Saturday and Sunday shows)
Cast two took the weekend shift for Night of the Living Dead, both of which were also packed shows. Cast two included Alex Ramsey ’26 (Ben), Max Galante ’27 (Harry), Gabriel Miller ’26 and Pedro River ’26 (both played Tom), and Pedro Rios ’28 (Kevin). Additionally, the people who played both nights like Wills Blosser ’26 (Bill Bardough), Parker Wale (News Anchor), Taylor Ripley ’27 (Chief McClellan), Kevin Nazareth (Dr. Grimes), Trey Massey ’28 (Reporter) and Aiden Black ’29 (Reporter), never got tired of the stage. Like cast one, cast two put on an amazing show for everyone to watch.
Zombies
Zombies makeup table (Credit: Wills Blosser ’26)
The zombies played a crucial role during the play. Played by Miguel Alvarez ‘28, Ethan Speer ’27, Rhys Blosser ’29, Will Sherman, ’29, Lucas Hamilton ’27, Santi Hernandez-Hoffman ’27, Levi Anderson ’28, Mason Muskovich ’27, and Nathan Sliter-Hays ’27, the zombies put on a show while being one of the most vital pieces of the play.
But first, it starts before the show with a ton of makeup to make the actors look like zombies with fake blood, fake scabs, and white makeup. Then, during the show, the zombies had two modes: A calm, trance mode and a violent mode. As someone who was in the cast, we had a whole day dedicated to mastering these two modes. Without the zombies, there wouldn’t be the play.
“Being a zombie was a great introduction to theater. I enjoyed the role very much and [IT] WAS a fun challenge to take on. Working with all the other zombies was also a very enjoyable experience”
– Santi hernandez-hoffman ’27
Reviews
I asked a couple of students who saw the play their thoughts on it. First, I asked Caleb Knight ’28, who went for Sunday’s cast two show, about the matter. He said:
“it was like a hollywood movie.”
Night of the Living Dead continued to receive high praise when I discussed it with Caleb Hudson ’28. He said that:
“The performance for Night of the Living Dead captured the tension and fear of the story beautifully. What stood out most was how each character’s emotions felt authentic and real. The cast portrayed how quickly people can unravel under pressure, turning the horror into something profoundly RELATABLE.“
Lastly, I spoke with the mastermind behind the whole play, director Mr. Patterson. He said that despite the difficulty of putting on the play and how there wasn’t an intermission, the actors persevered:
“It is kind of a complicated play to pull off with a bunch of different techincal aspects…The actors were great. I think it is hard for all the actors as they were onstage the entire time with no breaks because there was no intermission. so, i was impressed with the actors’ poise.”
Night of the Living Dead Stage (Credit: jesuit.stage_film on Instagram)
Conclusion
Overall, Night of the Living Dead was a great show done by the Stage and Film department. If you missed the performances, there is another show in the spring which will be a comedy. Please watch it to support Jesuit Stage and Film!
Stay tuned to The Roundup for more Jesuit Stage and Film Coverage!
