Welcome to Part IX (holy cow!) of Theatre in Film, our weekly feature on a film that depicts a life in the theatre. In Part IX, we celebrate the films that showcase the absurdity theatre: backstage accidents, drama queens, and ridiculously comedic catastrophes. This week, we feature the 2016 comedy, Opening Night (not to be confused with the John Cassavetes film from 1977).

Opening Night (2016)

Director: Jack Henry Robbins
Starring: Anthony Rapp, Cheyenne Jackson, Jessica Richards, Mitchell Jarvis, Kelsey Carthew

What happens:

Taking place during the opening night of a high school drama department’s production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Opening Night tells the story of high school drama teacher Logan Joyce (Anthony Rapp) and his unfocused, nervous, and distracted thespian troupe as they prepare to open their show to their school, talent scout Eli Faisel (Cheyenne Jackson), and the school’s board of directors — who have ultimate say over the amount of funding the drama department will receive, if any at all. When a student isn’t able to make the performance, Mr. Joyce selects Jay (Philip Labes), the student assistant director, to go on instead of eccentric, Shakespeare-obsessed understudy Simonia (Kelsey Carthew). To get back at Mr. Joyce, Simonia enlists the help of a Jack-Black-esque William Shakespeare (Mitchell Jarvis), who magically appears out of a trashcan in the library. What follows is a disastrous (and spontaneously adapted) Midsummer.

Why it matters:

High school theatre can be frustrating to say the least. Crushes, jealousy, and aspirations for college scholarships can get in the way of friendships and entrances. Plus, the threat of drama programs being under- and defunded due to cutbacks makes it a stressful experience for theatre teachers across the country.

When Arden (Nicole Tompkins) stares lovingly at Terry (Chris Aguila), she becomes obsessed with the mission of getting Terry to hook up with her. Meanwhile Terry has a crush on Marcus (Marquis Wood), the football-player-turned-actor. Rose (Jessica Richards) and Windsor (Chasen Bauer) have had an ongoing relationship for what seems like years, and they then encounter a harsh breakup when they apply for the same scholarships and the same schools. Windsor even misses a key entrance because he catches Rose kissing another actor backstage.

Meanwhile, Mr. Joyce is at risk of being let go when the school board director and the principal view his show as a flop. His only saving grace is his friend, Eli Faisel, who offers him a chance to go back to New York and save his career. Theatre teachers like Mr. Joyce experience intense pressure from multiple forces — school boards, principals, parents, students, and even their own career dreams — while trying to maintain a thriving drama department. Mr. Joyce is constantly trying to prove himself to people in charge while also proving to himself that what he’s doing is worth it. In the end, he proves to himself that his job as a theatre teacher is much more valuable than reclaiming his professional directing job in New York.

This film is the first in Part IX. See below for the other films in our Theatre in Film series!

Want to start with Part I? Begin with 42nd Street (1933).
Miss Part II? Check out The Band Wagon (1953).
Need a refresh for Part III? Start with our feature on All That Jazz (1979).
How about a recap from Part IV? Jump into A Chorus of Disapproval (1989).
Check out Part V, and start with An Awfully Big Adventure (1995).
Start reading Part VI with Camp (2003).
Want to dive into Part VII? Read Synecdoche, New York (2008).
Start Part VIII with Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014).