High school offers two plays this week

Havre High School is producing plays in rotation in the high school auditorium this week, with Wednesday off for church night.

"The Foreigner" by Larry Shue, directed by Jay Pyette, opens tonight and is also scheduled for Friday, at 7:30 p.m. both nights, and at at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the high school auditorium.

"Don't Take My Penny" by Anne Coulter Martens, directed by Curtis Reddoor, opened Monday and runs again Thursday and Saturday, starting at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium.

Pyette said both productions are light comedies, with the rotating production a new feature for Havre High.

"The Foreigner," which ran as an off-Broadway production in 1984, tells the story of a painfully shy man who poses as a foreigner with a tremendous accent in the hope of avoiding conversations. But, Pyette said, that has the opposite effect.

"Don't Take My Penny," written in the 1950s, is the story of several girls trying desperately to get the starring role in a major production, with various techniques and antics that cause mass confusion and problems.

The young actors have been rehearsing their parts for about two months, Pyette said. The two productions share the same basic set, but have separate casts.

The two casts have shared the stage and set for rehearsals, practicing on alternate nights.