The minutes ticked by last Tuesday afternoon as the drama group sat backstage in their costumes, waiting for the freshmen to arrive to watch the annual preview of the fall production, Biloxi Blues.

They kept waiting, and back at the JCC, so did the freshmen.  The busses to transport ninth-graders to the Greenway Arts Alliance Theater, a 10-minute drive from the JCC, never arrived, and eventually the preview had to be cancelled.

“We were ready and excited to finally be able to put ourselves out there and it was almost devastating when we found out that we couldn’t do it,” said freshman Ilan Bouskila, who plays Don Carney in the fall main stage event.

The freshman preview, begun last year, is meant to drum up student interest in Shalhevet’s drama program, both as audience members and potential actors.

“It’s a great way to introduce new students to our vibrant, sophisticated and inclusive theater program,” said Drama director Ms. Emily Chase the next day.

Instead, ninth-graders were then given the opportunity to see the final dress rehearsal for free on Wednesday night.  Out of the class of 55, six went.

According to e-mails between Shalhevet and the bus company, M&J Transportation Inc., Shalhevet controller Mr. Errol Briggs had arranged for two busses to take the freshmen to the theater at 1:30 on Dec. 16, which was two days before opening night.   The company confirmed the trip on Dec. 5, according to the e-mails, which were viewed by The Boiling Point

When the busses had not arrived several minutes past, 1:30, Mr. Briggs tried to contact the company.  Spokesmen for M & J said the secretary who booked the reservation had left two weeks ago and never put the trip into the calendar before leaving, Mr. Briggs said.

They also offered to give Shalhevet a future trip for half price, but Mr. Briggs declined. When Boiling Point tried to contact the M&J Company for more details, they hung up on the call.

“It was very unprofessional to have our ninth-graders wait for over an hour,” Mr. Briggs wrote to the Boiling Point in an email. “Sometimes we learn that we can’t do business with companies that offer the lowest rate.”

The freshmen ended up missing two class periods after lunch, but were back to their normal schedule for Town Hall at the end of the day.

Meanwhile, at the theater, Ms. Chase kept telling the actors that the starting time of the play had to be postponed. At one point, she told them that they might only have time for the second act.

When they discovered that transportation mishap would make it impossible for the freshmen to come, the actors were dismayed.

“We were just sitting around waiting for the freshmen to come, and we had worked so hard to prepare for the show,” said Micha Thau who plays Roy Selridge. “But we know that there was nothing the school could do.”

Biloxi Blues, a comedy about a writer’s experiences in army training for World War II, debuted on Thursday, Dec.  18 and will be playing for the third time on Monday Dec. 21. Tickets are still available online at j.mp/biloxiblues.