Auditions Set Aug. 21 For 'Three Murders' Comedy-Mystery
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The Arts & Science Center will hold auditions for its October production of Three Murders & It’s Only Monday! on August 21.
Performances Set for Oct. 27-29 in Robinson Black Box Theater
The Arts & Science Center is looking for teenage and adult performers to help bring a hilariously mysterious production to the Adam B. Robinson Jr. Black Box Theater just in time for Halloween.
In-person auditions for the witty film-noir Three Murders and It’s Only Monday are set for 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 21, at ART WORKS on Main, 627 S. Main St. Auditions are by appointment only and can be arranged by completing the form.
The performances are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Oct. 27-29, and performers must be available for all shows.
The production is sponsored by McFarland Eye Care.
ASC will cast nine performers for the production, including roles for ages 15 and older.
The play follows Detective Harry Monday as he investigates three murders at the Peaceful Pines Sanitarium. The supporting roles include that of blustery old sea Captain Mandrake; ventriloquist Danny O’Donnell; a nervous Dr. Morrissey and his witty aide, Beatrice Smith; a sultry, soon-to-be heiress Tara Dillaise; Lilly Dramkean, a gloved-up lawyer; actor Larramore Mandrake; and flighty socialite Mary Tobias.
The cast is rounded out with Hans, a Swedish Gardener; the old woman next door, Rhea Tetley; and a disgruntled nurse.
In Three Murders and It’s Only Monday, it was the kind of night when you find yourself holding your breath for no reason at all. A family gathers at the Peaceful Pines Sanitarium after learning of the murders of an old sea captain, a ventriloquist, and a tramp.
Private eye Harry Monday works to solve the murders with a cast full of confusing characters, all while trying to impress the sultry, soon-to-be-heiress Tara Dillaise. This lightning-paced comedy/mystery comes complete with its own lightning as a storm blows out all the fuses … and the murders keep coming! In this spoof on the old-style private-eye movies, the laughs are fast and furious … and the ending will simply kill you!
Martin Carty
The show is directed by Martin Carty, ASC facilities manager, and co-directed by Lindsey Collins, ASC theater programs manager.
Partial to mysteries, Carty directed ASC’s last two Halloween-time productions: Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express in 2022 and You Have the Right to Remain Dead in 2021.
“We did our first Halloween-themed show in the black box theater back in 2021,” says Carty. “We had such a good response to it. People loved it and really they got into it. The fun thing was, no one guessed who the murderer was! These shows are a lot of fun to do.”
Audience members are encouraged to dress in costume for the performances. ASC will give away prizes to each performance’s best-dressed audience member.
According to Carty, the audience becomes a part of the show, making each performance slightly different from the last. “The characters in these productions get to play off the audience, and the audience becomes part of the show. It’s a fun atmosphere.”
Three Murders and It’s Only Monday, written by Pat Cook, was produced by special arrangement with The Dramatic Publishing Company of Woodstock, Illinois.
Rehearsals begin in late August or early September. Auditions are open to ages 15 and older. No experience is necessary to audition.
Three Murders and It’s Only Monday! will be an easy-going production with a smaller time commitment than many.
In addition to casted roles, those interested in volunteering on the crew are encouraged to contact Collins at lcollins@asc701.org for more information.
