Director John Norton has announced the cast for CHT’s final 2016 production, the fast-paced mystery/comedy, The Game’s Afoot; or Holmes for the Holidays by Ken Ludwig. The play takes place on Christmas Eve, 1936, when a house party hosted by William Gillette, an actor famous for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, turns murderous. This glittering whodunit has murder, infidelity, wit, and surprises—something for everyone.
Photo: From left to right: James Diggs, Laura Wallin, Maggie Garey, Jim Landskroener, Diane Landskroener, Juanita Wieczoreck and Lindsey Hammer. Not pictured: Kirby Powell
Jim Landskroener plays William Gillette, the noted portrayer of Sherlock Holmes. Gillette’s houseguests, and potential suspects, are his fellow cast members: Lindsey Hammer fills the role of the ingénue Aggie Wheeler; Kirby Powell as character actor Simon Bright; James Diggs in the role of the experienced actor Felix Geisel; and Laura Wallin as the sarcastic actress Madge Giesel. Other characters are Diane Landskroener, cast as influential columnist and critic Daria Chase; Juanita Wieczoreck as the intriguing Inspector Harriet Goring; and Maggie Garey in the role of Gillette’s mother, Martha. Garey and Hammer are Easton residents; the other cast members hail from Chestertown.
Although this will be Norton’s directorial debut at Church Hill Theatre, he recently appeared as an actor in CHT’s production of Visit to a Small Planet. He has broad experience as an actor and director with the Tred Avon Players in Oxford. After a career as a TV producer in Baltimore, John now owns his own production company specializing in videos and 3D animations.
Because of the Christmas Eve setting in The Game’s Afoot, Santa will be visiting the Church Hill Theatre on the final Saturday of the production! From 11:00 am to 2:00 pm on Saturday, November 19th, Santa will be on stage to pose for photographs and take down Christmas wishes. For a $5.00 donation at the door, parents, grandparents, siblings, and more can bring a camera or phone to take photos of their little loved ones and enjoy cookies with the elves afterwards.
The Game’s Afoot; or Holmes for the Holidays will open at Church Hill Theatre on November 4 and will play Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm through November 20. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for members and $10 for students, with special prices for groups of ten or more. CHT offers 2 for the price of 1 tickets on opening night, Friday November 4, to those who reserve by phone. Reservations can be made by calling the CHT office at 410-556-6003 or online at www.churchhilltheatre.org
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