Auditions are set for Jackson County Community Theatre’s December production of Ken Ludwig’s “The Game’s Afoot or Holmes for the Holidays.”
They will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 24 and 25 at Royal Off-the-Square Theatre, 121 W. Walnut St., Brownstown.
The show involves a group of thespians invited to a weekend of revelry at a fellow cast member’s Connecticut castle, where in true Sherlock Holmes fashion, one of the guests turns up dead.
The festivities in the isolated house of tricks and mirrors quickly become dangerous. The actor famous for his stage adaptation of Holmes brings his Sherlockian skills into play to solve the mystery. The danger and hilarity are nonstop in this glittering whodunit set during the Christmas holidays.
Parts are available for three men and five women.
Men’s roles are William Gillette, the dynamic and charming stage actor renowned for his portrayal of Holmes; Felix Geisel, the company’s Moriarity, Gillette’s best friend and occasional sidekick and an overly dramatic stage player; and Simon Bright, an enthusiastic young man eager to please and find success on the stage.
Women’s roles are Inspector Harriet Goring; Martha Gillette, William’s dotty mother, elegant but a bit foggy; Madge Geisel, who like her husband has spent her life on the stage and is game for anything but if cornered will come out swinging; Aggie Wheeler, the ingenue of the company who is good-natured and kind in spite of tragedy in her past; and Daria Chase, a theater critic who is utterly charming despite the terrible things she writes.
More detailed descriptions of the roles can be found online at jcct.org/auditions. Anyone wishing to become involved in backstage or technical support is encouraged to attend auditions, too.
Larry Hartley is directing the show. He has retired to Jackson County, bringing extensive experience as an actor and director. JCCT audiences enjoyed his portrayal of Dionysus in “The Gods of Comedy” and Ebenezer Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol” in 2021. Last season, he made his JCCT directing debut with “Dial ‘M’ for Murder.”
The show will be presented Dec. 1, 2, 3, 8 and 9 at the theater. Tickets will be available Nov. 1 online at jcct.org, at Artistic Impressions in Seymour and Ewing Unique Boutique in Brownstown or by calling 812-358-5228. Tickets are $12 for senior citizens and students and $15 for those in between. The show’s content is appropriate for all ages.