ACCT Presents A Murder Mystery That Keeps Audiences Guessing

Mystery fans mark your calendars for the Aldersgate Church Community Theater's presentation of "" by George Baston, which is opening tonight and running for the next three weeks. Producers said the who-done-it thriller will keep audiences guessing until the very end.

"You don't know who the murder is until the last five minutes. At least, no one has been able to claim they figured it out before then yet," producer Bailey Center said.

Set in the late 1930's, the play revolves around Celia Granger, her son David and the mysterious murder of her young maid.  Detective Carlan must follow the clues and determine which of the suspects are guilty before the murderer strikes again, all while harboring feelings for the mistress of the great house perched on the banks of the Hudson River.

"There is suspicion in every character. There are warning signs every character could be the killer," director Liz Owens said. "Everybody has something they are hiding. Every time, I still get a chill at the end when the killer is revealed."

To help the actors prepare for their roles, Owens had them complete a character  'homework assignment', which probed them to think about their character’s motivations and relationship to others.

"I want to make my actors comfortable in their character's skin," Owens said. "If they don't know why they are crossing here and moving there, than the audience won't know why either."

Owens has been involved in the Northern Virginia community theater since she was just a teenager. She said she especially likes encouraging young people to volunteer for her shows.

"I'm a big fan of getting young people involved. That's how I got started," Owens said. "You have to be well rounded to really understand the tremendous amount of work that everyone does. Experience on both sides of the stage has made me appreciate the problems everyone faces."

According to Center, he decided to produce Design for Murder over eighteen months ago and has been working with Owens since October.

"I think community theater is terribly underappreciated in the area," Center said. "With rise of commercial ticket prices and the rise in gas prices, it's giving us the opportunity to gain new patrons who want to stay close to home. "

ACCT is a non-profit based at Aldersgate Church. Performances will be held at Aldersgate Community Church for the next three weeks on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and on Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door for $11 to $15 and tickets to the special March 31st dinner performance are $25 to $30 and must be purchased by March 28th, online only.