I was unexpectedly surprised by the first theater performance I have attended at Utica. During sixth hour before break, sixth hours were invited to attend a performance of “The Morning of the Eighth Day,” presented by our theatre department.

“The play is set in the Civil War era, toward the end of the war,” senior Teegan Wyckhuys said. “It’s about pseudo family sisters that are with a bunch of renegades.”

Although that may sound confusing, it was a very well laid out play.

The cast consisted of Cassidy Hough, Teegan Wyckhuys, Ashley Geis, Grace Veenstra, Shane Pawenski, Jordan Lebarge, and Stephanie Parchiotte.

Even though I walk the halls with these same students, I thought their performances were great. The southern accents that they had were very good, In particular, Teegan Wyckhuys’ was very good.

The “pseudo family” consisted of two orphan sisters, a runaway slave, a doctor, and a Confederate soldier. The storyline starts out as multiple interesting stories that eventually collide, and that is an amazing way to do things.

The story is a very touching one that tugs at the viewers’ heartstrings. In particular, the conclusion was very surprising. It was amazing how everyone got what they were looking for, especially the quiet character, and how everything turned out okay. I thought it was an amazing way to end the story.

There were some downsides to this story, however. It seemed to get a little slow in the middle, but lucky for the audience, it picked right back up at the end.

Keeping in mind that this was a play that was performed only one time, it was understandable that the set and stage design were on the plain side. The costumes could also have been a little better, but for the most part, they served their purpose.

Overall, I would rate the play 7/10 because of the outstanding performances of the students involved.