Do you relish in the terror of a suspenseful story, delight in a juicy murder mystery and become enthralled by the intensity of menacing comedy characters engaged in an intense struggle for power? Then, take note of Urbana University’s spring production featuring three short plays of suspense.
Performances will be held at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 23-25, and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 26. The plays will be performed in the campus Black Box Theatre in the Hub. Tickets are free and donations will be accepted to support UU theater.
This event begins with the very short thriller, Sorry, Wrong Number, first produced as a radio play in 1943 before it was adapted for television, film and the stage. Written by American author Lucille Fletcher, Orson Wells called it “… the greatest single radio script ever written.”
It is followed with a classic “Who Done It” by the famed English writer Agatha Christie. The Patient is one of Christie’s few one-act murder mysteries. The production is being staged in a slightly melodramatic style with an invitation to the audience to help solve the crime.
The third play is by the renowned prize-winning English playwright Harold Pinter. Considered one of Pinter’s best plays, The Dumb Waiter offers a compelling blend of contradictions through an intense exchange between two mysterious men waiting for a message in a basement.
The running time for the three plays and intermission is approximately two hours.
The acting ensemble includes Heather Berry, Logan Boggs, Joe Brown, Morgan Finch, Canaan Gray, Keara Henry, Preston Jenkins, Thoryn Johnson, Dale Madison, Heather Robinson, Jackie Schweitzer, Shelby Stevenson, William Casey Stultz, Rob Walton and Chuck Wynn. The production is directed by Margaret Piatt, who also supervises the student crew, including Charnell Burton, Cameron Gilbert, Scott Godby, select cast members and Dakota Bell. Additional professional support was given by Tom Murphy, Patrick Allyn Hayes and James A. White.
Seating is limited and reservations are recommended. They can be made through Tuesday, March 21, by calling 937-772-9315. Reserved tickets should be picked up at the Black Box Theatre between 7:30 and 7:45 p.m. on performance nights and between 2:30 and 2:45 p.m. for the Sunday matinee. Only 40 seats will be reserved and the remaining will be available as general seating on a first come, first served basis beginning at 7:30 each night and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.
