FSCC prepares for performance of Christie's 'The Mousetrap'
The Fort Scott Community College Theatre Department is preparing to present its rendition of one of the most famous murder mysteries in history.
Starting Friday, the FSCC Theatre Department will present "The Mousetrap," a classic murder mystery written by famed English crime writer Agatha Christie. "The Mousetrap" is the longest-running play in the world and is still running today. The play, which is also known for its twist ending, has been performed more than 23,000 times since it originally opened in 1952 in London, England.
FSCC theater instructor Jannell Robinson, the director of the show, said she chose "The Mousetrap" as the college's fall production because the show's cast size was ideal for the number of students involved in her acting class at FSCC, and because of her extensive knowledge of Christie's material.
"I've always loved the play and I'm very familiar with it," she said. "It's a fairly small show and it's not terribly difficult to do. I wanted to choose something that would be relatively well-understood and spoken. I love murder mysteries and she's (Christie) a fabulous writer."
"The Mousetrap," which is based on a short story and radio play from the mid-1940s, is about a young couple, Mollie and Giles Ralston, who have opened a new hotel in the converted Monkswell Manor. The Ralstons are snowed in together with four guests and an additional traveler, a man who ran his car into a snowdrift. Sergeant Trotter, a policeman, later arrives to inform the group that he believes a murderer is on his way to the hotel, following the death of a woman in London.
After one of the guests is killed, the remaining frightened guests realize that the murderer is already in the hotel. Drama and suspense ensues as suspicion begins to fall on each one of the guests and even the Ralstons themselves.
Robinson said audience members can expect to experience a variety of emotions as the thriller's plot unfolds on the stage of the small, 96-seat Melodrama Theater, 7 S. National Ave. Robinson and members of her acting class and stage crew have rearranged parts of the theater to enhance the entertainment experience for audience members.
"I hope they (audience members) have a good time," she said. "It's a very intimate theater and we've done a lot of revamping. We've taken the front part of the stage away and put our set really close to the audience."
Robinson said there are currently nine students enrolled in her acting class at FSCC, and she hopes that number grows next spring following the completion of the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center, a facility that will include a 600-seat auditorium and performance stage for the FSCC theater program.
"There is a lot of interest around campus (in the theater program)," Robinson said. "I'm hoping it will grow immensely. Hopefully, it will with the new theater coming up."
The cast of the FSCC production of "The Mousetrap" includes Amanda Shotton as Mollie Ralston, Matt Blunt as Giles Ralston, Nathan Thomas as Christopher Wren, Aaron May as Major Metcalf, Sarah Karleskint as Miss Casewell, Anthony Jackson as Mr. Paravicini, and Ryan Clark as Sgt. Trotter. Robinson said she will also make a brief appearance as one of the play's minor characters.
Performances of the show will be given at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Melodrama Theatre, and a matinee performance is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets, which cost $7 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and FSCC students, are available at FSCC, 2108 S. Horton St., and The Country Cupboard, 12 N. Main St.