The typical play experience includes buying your ticket, sitting down, and enjoying the show.

However, Millard North hosted a play that was completely different from the standard sit-and-watch play. It captivated the audience and made the night memorable for everyone who watched it. It’s called “Trap.”

‘‘Trap’’ first started as a book and was written by screenwriter Stephen Gregg, who then adapted it into a play that many high schools have performed and taken inspiration from.

Something different about “Trap” compared to other productions MN has done was that it was advertised on ever-changing posters around the school, which were adorned with secrecy, to spark conversation and excitement among the students.

Very little information was given out to students about what was going on during the play since there was a lot of novelty surrounding it, such as the immersive experience, new, minimal costuming, and interaction with the audience.

The immersivity of the show was unmatched. It was one of the most immersive shows Millard North has done yet.

“It’s supposed to be audience interactive in a way, and it’s supposed to make you feel the fear of what’s going on [compared to just seeing] monologues on a stage,” senior set chief Gracelyn Beukenhorst said.

Another aspect is that during the production, rather than treating the audience as spectators, the cast involved them in the play.

“It’s not like normal productions where the actors pretend the audience isn’t there. We acknowledge the audience in this show,” theater director Michelle Williamson said.

The feeling viewers had of being right there alongside the main character, through all the adventure and fear, while still being acknowledged, is what added to and created the captivating experience.

However, a key thing that made the experience so riveting was that some of the cast were hidden among the audience, sitting in the seats with them until it was their time to shine.

This is very scarce to find in any normal production. The planning it took in preparation was immense, and for three straight days, it went according to plan.

Once the first person came out, people were looking around, trying to identify if it would happen again and if so, who would be next. It was like one big game of hide and seek.

Another reason why the play was so different is that a mysterious play like this hasn’t been shown at Millard North in the past.

“[The play] ‘Trap’ is modern and contemporary, and it’s kind of scary. We haven’t done a psychological, scary show in a long time,” Williamson said.

The other productions done these past years, including “The Addams Family” and “Lord of the Flies”, have been something you can watch without feeling any fear of what may lurk around the corner.

While students may have felt a little discomfort in a production like “The Addams Family,” viewers didn’t experience any true fear like they had while watching “Trap.”

One distinct difference is in the costume choices. Since “Trap” was a modern show, the costumes in this production were more laid back, and it wasn’t heavily reliant on costumes.

“Other productions [like “The Addams Family” or “Little Women”] were more intense on costumes, but this is not really set in a certain time period. It’s a more modern time period, so finding clothes was easier because people could just take stuff from their closets,” junior costume chief Emma Larsen said.

However, even though the production wasn’t heavily reliant on costumes to drive the story, that doesn’t mean they didn’t play a big role in it.

During the show, there were a variety of different costumes, ranging from actors wearing older vintage clothing to the main character wearing modern teenage clothes.

This helped the audience distinguish whether the character was older or younger, and it showed pieces of their personality as well, since some characters’ costumes included accessories like trench coats or jackets.

There were a multitude of contributions the cast made, such as making the audience immersive, suspenseful, and unexpected, to make this show enjoyable and memorable for everyone.

Even the people behind the scenes, like the light crew or set crew, worked tirelessly to provide the audience with the best version of “Trap” that they could.

“It’s one of our more unique shows of the year, and it’s not the most generic production you’ll see. There’s a special twist to it that I think is really cool and [I hope people found it] interesting,” Beukenhorst said.