The stage is ready, the bright lights are on, and the curtains are about to be drawn. Beyond the stage are many, many people sitting in the dark of the auditorium, watching intently. Actors stand by in full costume and makeup, about to take the stage, their bodies flowing with adrenaline.

  With the 2018 fall play approaching, actors get closer and closer to feeling this adrenaline rush.

  FHC spotlight players are excited to present “Arsenic and Old Lace” to audiences. The pressure of showing the play for the first time, as well as the energy of being in front of a big audience, has actors prepping to do their best.

  Actor Isaiah Henry, who plays Mortimer Brewster, is having a blast being apart of the production. He has a go-to way of preparing himself to perform.

  To get ready before a show, Henry said, “I usually listen to really hype music. Just hype myself up, get a lot of energy.” Along with getting his energy up, Henry said he does lots of vocal warm ups as well. “[I] definitely do vocal warm ups to get my voice ready for everything,” said Henry.

  Of course, not every actor warms up the same way. Bobby Pordea, another actor in the play, plays Teddy Brewster. A bit unlike Henry, Pordea tends to focus on his character for warm ups.

  “I honestly just spend time alone with myself to like, get into character,” he said. “I have this whole routine where I like talk back and forth as a character and then that just helps me get into character and become that person.”

All of the “Arsenic and Old Lace” actors and actresses seem to be eager to perform, and for people to see the results of everybody’s hard work.

 “I love the plotline. It’s hilarious. It’s farce, which means it’s basically a dark comedy. So it’s really funny, and it’s a lot of fun,” said Henry. This play is fun not only for the actors, but for the audience as well.

 Pordea, like many of the other actors in the play, is thrilled for those auditorium curtains to open and for people to finally see the production.

“I can’t wait for everybody to see it,” Pordea said. “A lot of people have worked really hard on it. So, yeah I can’t wait.”