The dark, creepy upcoming one-act play “Country Gothic” has everyone spooked and excited. The story takes place in Foxfire Valley, where the residents have strange ways of doing things. From the point of getting ready for the wedding, to the shocking plot-twist at the very end, “Country Gothic” is a must-see production.

“’Country Gothic’ is about a community that has kind of lost their way in life and they believe that you can get good things from the Earth if you give the Earth good things like human beings,” Language Arts teacher Mr. Todd Miesch said.

Mr. Miesch claims that the storyline is unique and intriguing, yet eerie and spine-chilling.

“We decided to go with [‘Country Gothic’] because it’s a different take on anything that we’ve done before,” Mr. Miesch said. “It’s kind of twisted, it’s kind of dark and it just seemed like an interesting thing to present to Rochester.”

Although the directors and crew are certain the play will come together in the end, Mr. Miesch admits there are some challenges, including daily attendance.

“This time of year, a lot of students have extracurricular activities on, and so that conflicts a lot,” Mr. Miesch said. “It’s hard to have continuity with [inconsistent attendance].”

Mr. Miesch also said that it can be difficult working with upcoming actors and actresses.

“In a production like this, we want it to be for new-comers to the stage and things like that, and so now you’re working with a lot of people who have never be on stage before,” Mr. Miesch said. “And so instead of getting right into characterization, we have to work on simple things like where not to stand and trying not to sound like you’re reading from a script, or what is the difference between stage right and stage left and house left and house right and things like that — just understanding small terminology.”

Because of the abundance of new performers, there is more that needs to be taught before the kids can actually get into character.

Before the cast and crew gets to perform on their own turf, they’re taking their stage and their acting abilities to Garber High School in Bay City to perform at Lovefest.

“Lovefest is … a lot of love is really what it is! It is a bunch of schools (about 12 to 14 schools) that come together and put on their one-act production,” Mr. Miesch said. “And, no matter how good or how poor the play is, the crowd will always applaud and give a standing ovation.”

Mr. Miesch claims that the whole experience is a jolly and inviting one, but everyone has a favorite part.

“The thing that I’m looking forward to most is just the encouragement that all the students get from other students from around the state,” Mr. Miesch said.

After the cast and crew present “Country Gothic” in Bay City, they’ll be returning to Rochester High School to give everyone a taste of Foxfire Valley.

Promising not to give away the ending, Mr. Miesch can only say that the ending of “Country Gothic” is very exciting, and he is looking forward to it immensely.

“The thing that I’m looking forward to most about this show is the very end, where we’re going to have some special effects,” Mr. Miesch said. “In the very end, when something tragic happens to the main character, I’m very excited to see how that is going to work. Whenever we’re putting together a play or a musical, there is always a point where it’s like, ‘Oh my gosh this is just going to fall apart.’ And, for whatever reason, when the audience comes in, and it’s time to turn on the lights, and the set is all painted, and everything like that, it’s just that- something happens where it all comes together- and that’s what I’m excited for- to see it all come together.”