Suspense Abounds in
CVU Drama's "Red House"
HINESBURG, VT – An air of mystery and intrigue has settled over Champlain Valley Union High School. Final touches to the set, costumes, and scenes are being added in preparation for the premier opening, March 22, of "The Red House Mystery."
With experience from the CVU One Acts, three Williston seniors, Noah Mease, Tyrone Greenfield and Jared Smith have collaborated as writer, director, and producer respectively to create the production for their Graduation Challenge projects.
More than 35 students from Shelburne, Williston, Charlotte, and Hinesburg have been working as cast, crew and designers to make The Red House Mystery" the best show it can be. Planning for the show began in June of 2006, with rehearsals currently in progress.
Adapted from an A.A. Milne novel of the same title, "The Red House Mystery" has been hailed as one of the greatest novels of its kind. Set in the mid-1930's, guests enjoying their summer holiday at Red House find their evenings of croquet and billiards interrupted by the brutal murder of their host's brother.
Red House is not the idyllic summer escape it seems to be. Ghost stories, secret passageways, underwater evidence, and mistaken identities abound. Add in the weathered Major, the famous actress, and the whole cast of suspicious guests and we've got a real mystery on our hands.
Luckily, Toni Gillingham shows up out of the blue to solve the caper. But can she, even with the help of her trusted companion Bill Beverley, unwind the web of lies and deception wrapped around Red House?
"Red House" promises to entertain young and old alike while keeping you guessing until the very end! Come watch Toni and Bill sleuth their way through the adventure at 7:30 pm March 22, 23 and 24 in the Champlain Valley Union High School auditorium.
Red House will feature open seating, adult tickets $8 and student/senior tickets $5. Tickets may be purchased at the door or reserved in advance by calling 482-6955. The CVU Box Office opens at 6:30 p.m., doors at 7 p.m.
Come early and enjoy refreshments at the Red House Cafe.
The Red House Mystery
On stage at CVU High School on March 22, 23 and 24, 2007
A play by Noah Mease
Adapted from the novel by A. A. Milne
Directed by Tyrone Greenfield
Produced by Jared Smith
Synopsis: Guests enjoying their summer holiday at Red House find their evenings of croquet and billiards interrupted by a brutal murder - of their host’s brother. Red House is not the idyllic summer escape it seems to be. Ghost stories, secret passageways, underwater evidence, and mistaken identities abound. Add in the weathered major, the famous actress, and the whole cast of suspicious guests and we’ve got a real mystery on our hands. Luckily, Toni Gillingham shows up out of the blue to solve the caper. But can even she unwind the web of lies and deception? Isn’t murder jolly?
Dramatis Personae: (The Players)
Miss Elsie Wood (Martha Waterman): A maid somewhat prone to the chimerical, she is often distracted from her domestic work by her many adventures, real or imagined. And in the heat of the summer at Red House, they are usually imagined…
Mrs. Jane Stevens (Sadie Stone): The head of the maids at Red House, she has her hands full with keeping the younger maids in line and the house immaculately dusted. And now she has scrubbing bloodstains to add to the list…
Miss Audrey Stevens (Jahala Dudley): An excitable girl and Mrs. Stevens’ niece, she leaps at the chance to lead a dark and mysterious figure to the study. Little does she know that she’s leading him to his death…
Major Alan Rumbold (Brendan Brooks): Retired from shell-shocked conquests on the battlefield, he fills his twilight years with grumbling and gout. He claims to have hung up his guns long ago…
Miss Ruth Norris (Amanda Brooklyn): A dazzling actress with her name in lights across
Inspector Arthur Birch (Ben Brownell): Assigned to the mundane case of a shooting at a country manor house, he has no idea what he is stepping into. As he digs deeper into the uncovered darkness, the facts don’t add up…
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| From Red House Mys... |
Mrs. Norbury (Lucy Weaver), consoles Angela Norbury (Meg Seaton) as Inspector Birch (Ben Brownell) grills her for the details in "The Red House Mystery."
Mrs. Evelyn Norbury (Lucy Weaver): A woman amidst wealthier peers, she knows her assets and uses them for her own gain around Red House. Even if those assets include her own daughter…
Miss Angela Norbury (Meg Seaton): A quiet girl and the flower of innocence, she only wishes to spend time with guests her own age. But between parental pressures and her host’s unwelcome attentions, the outlook is bleak…
Mr. Matthew Cayley (Jake Spector): Cousin to the host, he goes beyond the familial duties to take care of everything Mr. Ablett wishes. But underneath the façade of loyal servitude, Matthew Cayley has his own interests at stake…
Miss Betty Calladine(Haley Perkins): Young and caught up in a summertime romance, she is oblivious to the cares of the guests around her. But a gunshot and a corpse will quickly take any girl out of her fantasyland and into harsh reality…
Mrs. Agatha Calladine(Shadia Herath): The surrogate hostess for Red House’s eligible bachelor, she is in charge and has her sights on remarrying. But with a body in the study and a missing host, her world’s foundations are crumbling…
Miss Antonia Gillingham (Theresa Keller): A Modern-Woman-turned-amateur-detective, she drops in at Red House minutes after the fatal gunshot. But even with her scintillating wits and myriad talents, this case might be too hard to crack…
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| From Red House Mys... |
Toni (Theresa Keller) rolls her eyes as sleuthing partner Bill (Jacob Tischler) elaborates on his thoughts.
Mr. Bill Beverley (Jacob Tischler): A pleasant young fellow on holiday, he is suddenly thrust into the role of Watson by his sleuthing friend Toni. But Bill's good friend Betty may have something to say about her man's new partner…
Mr. Mark Ablett (Matt Francis): The owner of Red House, he fancies himself an artist and a host. But when a skeleton in the closet becomes a corpse in the study, the lord of Red House is nowhere to be found…
A. A. Milne's only mystery novel, was published in 1922. It has been criticized and praised for being all that is wrong with and all that is great about the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. It is available
in its entirety here.
