Personal growth, cooperation, friendship and intrigue. There's a lot more than homicide going on in the upcoming Manheim Township High School (MTHS) production of "Murder on the Orient Express."

"I'm a graduate of Manheim Township, a graduate of the theater program, and it made me who I am today," said Dylan Kranch, the director of "Murder on the Orient Express." "It gave me the chance to shine, express myself and find my people. The theater skills we teach are important. But more important is the camaraderie. For me, it was a place where I could feel safe and take risks. Those are the things that I hope the students gain the most."

The MTHS drama department will present its version of the Agatha Christie classic "Murder on the Orient Express" at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 20; Friday, Nov. 21; and Saturday, Nov. 22, inside the school's C. Howard Witmer Auditorium at 115 Blue Streak Blvd., Lancaster. Tickets for the show can be purchased at the door on the night of the performances or in advance at https://tinyurl.com/mthsfallplay.

The two-act play is two hours in length and includes a 15-minute intermission between the acts.

"The audience is incredibly important to the cast and crew," said Kranch. "The audience is the last character. Without an audience, a show is not complete. Once an audience comes in, they're expected to contribute to the show with their emotions and reactions. The audience gets the show where it needs to be. They should expect to laugh. They should expect to feel, and they should expect to be proud of the students' work."

There are a total of 70 MTHS students involved with the production, 12 cast members and 58 crew members behind the scenes who have been working on lighting, sound, sets, costumes and makeup, as well as in the role of ushers.

The cast features Tim Cruz as Hercule Poirot, Abe Wolfe as Monsieur Bouc, Maddie Lawrie as Mary Debenham, Devin Gosh as Hector MacQueen, Patrick McCarthy as Michel the Conductor/Head Waiter, Ella Suydam as Princess Dragomiroff, Alex Othmer as Greta Ohlsson, Maggie Ainslie as Helen Hubbard, R.J. Scacalossi as Colonel Arbuthnot/Samuel Ratchett and Stella Valentin as Daisy Armstrong.

"I think people should come see this great show because it incorporates comedic relief with human-like emotions," said Maggie. "We approached the show with the intentions of not just focusing on what we say, but how we say it and also how we respond to each other, even when there are no lines to be said."

"Even though I'm the adult in charge, I take zero credit for it," said Kranch. "It's about the kids; they're the ones who do the things. This is their show. I want the audience to see all the hard work and the passion come through."

The cast and crew began work on their show on Sept. 2 with auditions, and the first official rehearsal was conducted two days later. More than 60 students tried out for the 12 cast parts.

"We spent a lot of time at the beginning working on our relationships with each other as characters," said Ella. "I think that's really important because the characters' interactions are what builds the show and makes it make sense at the end. I think (the cast members) get along really well, and because it's such a small group, we became family very quickly. We just became friends."

"For me as a director, the best part is working with the kids, being that mentor, being that person they can come to," said Kranch. "But I'm also that person who has valuable professional experience. For me, my favorite part is working with them and watching them grow. The most gratifying part of educational theater is teaching them and hopefully giving them an experience they'll remember for the rest of their lives."

For the actors and crew members, the three upcoming performances represent more than 11 weeks of hard work and countless hours of repetition, sacrifice and tweaking. For such diligence, there must be an emotional payoff.

"I expect there to be this combination of nerves and excitement (when the curtain goes up)," said Kranch. "Those two emotions are strongly intermingled. I always say if you're not nervous, you may not care. I think they feel proud of themselves. I think (the cast and crew) feel prepared. There's also this bittersweet aspect to it. They are going to be on stage all weekend, and then it's going to be over in a flash. They're excited to show off their work, and then it shifts to 'Let's make this the best darn show we've ever done.'"