By Renae Brown

   “It’s fun, it’s mysterious and it’s unlike anything that we’ve done here at Tempe Prep,” said Mr. Sanderson regarding “Sherlock Holmes,” Tempe Preparatory Academy’s 2024 spring play.

   In this production, Sherlock Holmes, a detective, causes trouble for the archvillain, criminal Professor Moriarty and a gang. Therefore, while simultaneously fending off attempts on his life by Moriarty and his minions, Holmes has to protect a character named Alice Faulkner with assistance from his friend, Dr. Watson. 

   Besides the intriguing plotline, Mr. Sanderson, the TPA drama teacher, chose this play for the large cast it requires so that more students could be involved.  But he also chose “Sherlock Holmes” because, as Mr. Sanderson said, “Everyone knows who Sherlock Holmes is.”  So more people are interested in seeing and participating in the play because they know the character. 

   The version of the script the TPA cast is using is the original written by William Gillette and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

   For the first time ever, not every student who auditioned made the cut, even with Mr. Sanderson’s maneuvering for a large cast. Typically Mr. Sanderson double-casts, or puts multiple people in the same role, when there are many auditionees, but this year only 17 of 25 people who tried out made it in.

   The majority of the cast are middle schoolers, although high schoolers do play Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Mr. Sanderson said, “The nice thing is that I can train them and nurture them and help them grow so that we can do things in the future that might be great fits.”

   Mr. Sanderson hired a set designer named Bob Taylor to design the set. Notably, Taylor wanted to build the five different sets that are required by the play instead of the one set Mr. Sanderson originally expected. With one set, simple changes denote variations in scenery. Although five sets are expensive, it is an investment for the future since TPA can use the materials for years to come.   

    Performances last for three nights only. For Friday, April 19 the production starts at 7:30 p.m. The April 20 performance also commences at 7:30 p.m. Finally, on April 21, the show begins at 3 p.m. Don’t miss out on TPA’s production of “Sherlock Holmes!”