Students from Assumption College School’s Grade 11 dramatic arts class have been hard at work preparing for their sold-out production of Murder Me Always, coming up on Thursday, November 12, 2026.
An interactive murder-mystery comedy written by Lee Mueller, the school’s culinary arts classes will be preparing and serving dinner during the production.
Their teacher, Naomi O’Neill, took a moment to describe the plot, saying that it will keep the audience guessing.
“It’s a play within a murder mystery play, and when someone dies for real, they get all discombobulated trying to figure it out,” she said. “Even the audience doesn’t know whether they’re acting or whether they’re being themselves, and so everyone is a suspect. It’s a lot of fun.”
Sixteen-year-old Joshua Ocampo, who plays the role of the pompous, self-centered actor Fritz Fontaine and serves as the production’s assistant stage manager, said it’s been a fun project.
“It’s been difficult in a sense, but we continue to progress through. We’re one collaborative class, community and group, and so we all have the same goal in mind, which is to put on a good show,” he said. “It’s interesting too, because I have two jobs in this show, so I get the perspective of being in both a backstage role and onstage. It’s been quite fun and riveting because it really is a balance.”
His classmate, Gracie General, 16, who plays one of the characters obsessed with Fritz Fontaine, later added that over the past several weeks, the class have been working hard to bring the show to life.
“We started at the end of September doing our read throughs, and then we spent all of October rehearsing, ” she said. “It’s a bit nerve-wracking because the show is only nine days away, so we’re trying to get all of the corrections done, working on our blocking, ensuring everyone can be seen and making sure it’s perfect for everyone to watch. It’s been very difficult, but we’re all pushing through and working like a team to figure it out.”
Noting that Ocampo’s first time taking drama was last year in Grade 10, he said the experience has furthered his appreciation for the arts.
“Drama for me is definitely an experience. It’s expressive and fun, and you get to see different people’s backgrounds and how they act in school compared to how they perform on stage, so it’s very unique,” he said. “It’s just very special and the continuation of investment into the arts is something that is very important to me. People need to look at the arts and take it seriously. In a world that sometimes seems to lack creativity, the arts show who people truly are for what they are.”
General, who has been taking drama since Grade 9, shared similar sentiments.
“I love drama because I can be myself in front of all these other different actors. They’re very comfortable to be around, and they’re not as judgmental as what people out in the real world can be. You can always find a safe place in the drama room,” she said. “I think that’s what’s so special about the arts, because it makes people be seen for who we are, and not for the mask we want other people to see. It gives us a chance to be ourselves.”
With the show just days away, O’Neill said she’s incredibly proud of her class.
“My favourite thing to see is someone who didn’t trust themselves at first, be able to memorize lines and deliver it for truth on stage. There’s always these ups and downs throughout the process; sometimes you’re sweating and the next you’re laughing your guts out, but I think they’ve been having a lot of fun on stage,” she said. “One of the things I love about this Grade 11 class and the dinner theatre aspect, is that they get to have this whole new experience connecting with the audience like they’ve never had before. It gives them a chance to see that they can do something from beginning to end, and it’s quite incredible. I’m very proud of all their efforts.”
When asked how it felt to have already sold out the show, O’Neill added, “That was honestly the fastest we’ve done that and so it feels awesome.”
Ocampo said he hopes the people who were lucky enough to get tickets enjoy the work the class put into it.
“I hope people see the effort and the collaboration of all the actors,” he said. “What we’ve put together is something that we should be proud of and I hope people see that as well. I hope they can applaud us for taking the time, putting in the work, and what we’ve done with this stage play.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
