ARLINGTON — The student actors of Arlington High School are well accustomed to performing comedy plays by now, with last fall’s run of Neil Simon’s “Rumors” drawing both crowds and laughs in the Linda M. Byrnes Performing Arts Center.

This year, AHS drama took a turn toward the dark, both figuratively and literally, with a sparse-set staging on Nov. 11, 12, 18 and 19 of “Rehearsal for Murder,” a mystery that traded the elaborate two-floor set of “Rumors” for a mostly bare, almost black stage, save for the few spotlights that illuminated the characters.

By presenting a serious play set on an abandoned Broadway stage, AHS drama teacher Scott Moberly hoped to make the audience feel like part of the show, especially when characters walked onto the stage from out in the stands.

“After three years of comedies, I decided this year’s senior actors needed to stretch and experience a drama,” Moberly said. “The cast of this play has perfected the art of comedic timing in some of our previous productions. It was time for them to learn to infuse a sense of wit and tension into their acting, and ‘Rehearsal for Murder’ has been a great vehicle to teach them these new skills.”

AHS senior Josiah Miller played Alex, a playwright who assembles the actors of his previous play, as well as its director and producer, to find out who killed that play’s leading lady, Monica, who was also his fiancee.

“I was pretty comfortable doing comedy, but I really appreciate the chance to do something a little different,” said Miller, a four-year veteran of AHS drama who hopes to continue acting after high school. “With this play, the audience experiences its events with the characters. It’s set in an empty theater, and they’re right there.”

Fellow AHS senior and “Rumors” cast member Lexi Lewis, who played Monica in “Rehearsal for Murder,” found its stage direction physically challenging at points, but she appreciated the play’s challenges.

“Because there’s not as much of a set, we have to rely on our acting and on each other,” Lewis said. “Several of us have worked together on earlier plays. We have a comfort level with each other that made rehearsing a mystery very fun.”

“These students work really well together,” said Moberly, who noted that seniors Nathan Haskew and Nate Braaten had already teamed up to produce “The Fantasticks” in September before becoming supporting cast members of “Rehearsal for Murder.” “Part of my challenge as a teacher and a director is to find plays that fit the skills of my students, continue to educate them about drama and theater production, and entertain our audiences.”

Braaten’s performance as the obsequious actor Leo, one of the nearly half-dozen murder suspects in the cast, provided the few moments of levity in the story. He concurred with Lewis that the minimalist staging required the actors to sharpen their skills, but he found the script helpful in that regard.

“The writing is incredibly well done, which you need in a murder mystery,” Braaten said.

“In some ways, putting this play together is harder than most,” said AHS senior Megan Birdsong, who has been a stage manager for every AHS drama production since her freshman year, and was expecting her job to be easier with the simplified set. “There’s not much room for any backstage mistakes in this one.”

All three senior actors expressed optimism for next year’s AHS drama students.

“I hope I’ve left a legacy that they’ll want to equal or outdo,” said Miller, who joined Braaten in expressing plans to return to see those students’ work.

“I’d love to see them do a great job just like they have while we’ve been here,” Lewis said.