Murder takes center stage
Published 10:56 am Tuesday, June 30, 2009
One down, two more to go. Fresh off “Damn Yankees,” Austin’s Summerset Theatre is rehearsing for its next production, Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None.”
The second of Summerset’s three-show summer season, “And Then There Were None” offers a murder/mystery set in a black-and-white style, complete with strange voices, shrieks and some humor thrown in.
It runs July 8 through July11.
“It’s definitely a ‘Whodunit,’ says show director and set designer Shane May. “It’s an old 40s play.”
The story is set in a secluded island mansion where everything seems normal with the mansion staff and the eight guests who arrive.
As the play progresses, though, the mystery unfolds.
“For one reason or another, they all start getting knocked off, one by one,” May says of the guests.
One of those guests is Gen. Mackenzie, played by Bill Hoy, who’s taking a break from his usual dramatic roles of community theatre.
“I’ve never done a mystery, so it’s just doing something different,” he says.
This year’s Summerset Theatre participants have their hands full.
“Damn Yankees,” just closed June 20 and rehearsals kicked off for “And Then There Were None,” earlier this month. After this show ends July 11, it’s on to “Nunsense Jamboree,” which opens July 21.
“It’s quite a challenge,” May says of the transitions.
It’s quite a change going from “Damn Yankees” to “And Then There Were None.”
For one, the sets are completely different.
“Damn Yankees” required multiple sets, from the bleachers to the dug outs to the locker rooms.
“And Then There Were None,” has only one set, although May will have designed all three sets of the summer productions once the season has ended.
“I’m looking at it right now,” he says, when asked which set presents the most challenge. “We’re trying to give it the feel of an old 40s movie, which has been an extreme challenge. We’re trying to make it black and white … we don’t know if it’s going to work though.”
Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” will be performed at the Riverland Community College’s Frank W. Bridges Theatre July 8, 9, 10, 11 at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $12 for adults. For more information, visit www.riverland.edu or call 433-0595.