‘Super’ show

Are they truly not connected to reality?

Or might they really be super?

Jay County Junior-Senior High School’s drama club will answer those questions this weekend with its production of the comedy “Super Freaks.”

The bulk of the cast members are back from the fall production of “Salem’s Daughter,” this time testing their chops as comedic actors.

“We did a serious play, kind of a thriller, drama, for the fall play …  and now we decided to do something funny,” said director Cain Bilbrey, remembering that when he was in high school the pattern was to do a drama, a comedy and a musical each year. “That was just kind of the set standard. So I kind of follow along with that. … So I thought it would be fun to do a comedy. And that gives the kids a chance to do something serious and do something funny. Not everybody likes to do drama. Some people want to get on stage and be goofy and have fun at it and make people laugh.”

He first looked at “Super Freaks” because of its smaller cast size and its flexibility — most of the roles can be played by either gender — and was drawn in to its potential after getting his hands on the script.

“After I read it and then I had the students read it they were like, ‘Oh, this could be a lot of fun,’” Bilbrey said.

“Super Freaks” is set in Stanley J. Kirby Psychiatric Hospital that is the subject of reporting by journalist Lois Lancaster — Labibah Awliya and Maley Recker are splitting the role — who is writing about the current state of mental health facilities.

“We have patients in a psychiatric hospital who think they’re superheroes,” said Bilbrey. “And there is a particular reporter — think Lois Lane — who is trying to figure it out. She feels something about this place, but she doesn’t quite know … And there’s a bit of a ruse going on as to are they really mental patients or are they superheroes.”

The quirky superheroes and/or patients imagine (or have?) various super powers:

•Speed Freak (played by Natalee Hough) can, you guessed it, run at incredible speeds.

•Dim Bulb (Aeroelet Cooke) can turn off lights with his brain.

•Mental (Sammie Sager) believes she can read minds.

•Kevin (Jovana Markovic) is less quirky, initially, and doesn’t have a superhero costume or name.

Dr. Gail Eisner (Izzy Winkles) is the hospital administrator who tries to effectively run the facility.

Sager is the lone senior in the group.

“My miss reliability,” said Bilbrey. “She has a fun role and brings my seasoned-veteran to the stage.”

“And then my pinch-hitter from the last show who came in and saved us, Aeroelet Cooke is joining us (again),” he added, noting that Cooke jumped into a key role late in the production process for “Salem’s Daughter. “She has enthusiastically embraced this role. It’s great, it’s comical and she does a great job.

“All of them do a great job. It’s a lot of fun.”

There will be four opportunities to see the show, which opens with a performance at 7 p.m. Friday in the auditorium at JCHS. There are two shows Saturday — 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. — and the production will close with a 2 p.m. matinee Sunday.

Admission is $5 and tickets will be available at the door.

“We want to get as many people out here as we can,” said Bilbrey. “Come out and support it. 

“I couldn’t be more proud of these kids.”