The cafeteria will come alive with spirits as AHS Theatre presents “Blithe Spirit” for the annual dinner theatre production. “Blithe Spirit” is about a widowed author who is met with hilarious results after hiring a clairvoyant to perform a seance as research for his next novel.

“I think [the show is] really funny,” props crew head Jordan Zeissig, junior, said. “I think the way it is being directed is really fun.”

According to those involved, dinner theatre is an incredibly fun experience but it requires a lot of hard work.

“[Dinner theatre is] a lot of fun, but it’s really stressful too,” cast member Lillian Mechlem, freshman, said. “It’s kind of relieving to know that I’m around people that understand me, so it makes it less stressful for me.”

Dinner theatre is meant to be a fun experience for the audience so the cast and crew are preparing for that.

“People go to the theatre to escape from their troubles and get away from daily life,” Zeissig said, “so that’s what we’re doing for them.”

In addition to being a fun show, “Blithe Spirit” is very sentimental to the tech director Lynne Varelans.

“It was the first show I saw when I was a student here at Arlington High School,” Varelans said. “That’s when I kind of fell in love with what theatre is and what it does.”

Though the structure of the production is mostly the same, what is different about dinner theatre is how the stage is constructed for the show.

“This year, the setup of the stage is different,” Varelans said. “We have a wall for the home the show takes place in, and all of the technicians and quick changes and things that we have to do off stage happen on the other side of that wall.”

“Blithe Spirit” opens tonight and runs through Saturday. Tickets are available in B200 or by calling 682-777-0765.