Players’ Guild prepares for spring production

By Melissa Piche Times Contributor

The Strathmore Theatre Players’ Guild is gearing up for their spring production and it’s going to be anything but rudimentary.  

The Games Afoot is set to begin May 2 and will run through to May 18 at the Hope Community Covenant Church, giving people many opportunities to take in this murder mystery satire.

Robert Cole, director with the Strathmore Theatre Players’ Guild, explained that the show is written by Ken Ludwig, who is touted as being perhaps the most performed playwright of his generation. He has written 34 plays and musicals with six productions showcasing on Broadway and eight in London. 

“It is a comedy farce and it’s about William Gillette, who is an actual actor down in the (United) States,” said Cole about the play – which is fiction, but just so happens to feature a non-fiction character. “He is a person who loves Sherlock Holmes and actually tries to embody him at all times. You have an actor, playing an actor who is trying to embody an actor.”  

In the play, Gillette, who is a Broadway star, invites fellow cast-members to his place in Connecticut for the weekend. Throughout the weekend one of his house guests gets stabbed – spoiler. Gillette, who thinks he’s somewhat of a Sherlock Holmes, takes it upon himself to solve the murder. 

“There’s a lot of jump scare farce sort of stuff,” Cole said of the production. “Very much a murder mystery in which they try to give you clues all the way through it on who actually did the different murders that they talk about, and shootings and assaults and whatever else. So regrettably, it is trigger happy for some people”

The cast, which started practicing about eight weeks ago, has eight people on stage with an additional 25 plus people behind the scenes in various roles such as lighting, costumes and sound.

The Strathmore Theatre Players’ Guild is always looking for more volunteers on or off the stage. 

“We are always in need of assistance in some matter,” said Cole. “We have a musical next year – we’re going to need a whole lot more men on stage.” 

Cole said male actors are always something in high demand, but realistically, anyone interested can reach out on their website (https://strathmoreplayers.ca).

The next show scheduled for the fall of 2024 hasn’t been released yet, however the fun doesn’t stop. Patrons to the current show are encouraged to vote for the musical set to hit the stage in Spring 2025. The nominees for the musical are Mary Poppins, Shrek, The Addams Family and The Wizard of Oz. 

However, this upcoming production is geared towards more of a mature, young-adult audience. Tickets start at $20 for youth, $25 for a single adult or a group of four tickets for $75. 

Tickets can be purchased at The Vault in person or you can visit https://thevaultonline.ca under the Featured Artists tab to purchase through Shop Pay.  

The show runs at 7 p.m. on May 2-4, May 9-11 and May 16-18. There are two matinees slated for 2 p.m. on May 12 and May 18.