The Park Square Presents The Summer Mystery You've Been Waiting For

Park Square Theatre's summer fare continues on the Proscenium Stage with the regional premiere of Agatha Christie'S RULE OF THUMB (July 12 - August 25, 2019). Directed by local powerhouse Austene Van*, the evening featured three one-act murder mysteries by the most-read mystery writer of all time - Dame Agatha Christie. In The Wasp's Nest, Hercule Poirot comes between a bitter triangle of lovers to prevent a sinister murder; in The Rats, adulterous lovers find themselves lured to a flat, only to be framed for murder; and completing the triple bill is a tense thriller about a woman who is hospitalized after seemingly falling from her balcony in The Patient.

"Agatha Christie's worked spanned and spoke to so many decades - from her first story written in 1916 to 1974," says director Austene Van. "As we approached these three plays, we wanted to explore that impact by setting each one in a different time period to suit the nature of the story. Since Hercule Poirot appeared in her earliest work, The Wasp's Nest is set in the elegant and formal time at the end of World War I, while The Rat's Nest is set in the 1950's. Each time period gives the actors - who play roles in at least two of the plays - different tools, from corseted costumes to the quick repartee we love in films from the 1930s and '40s. Since so many of us know Christie's work through film, we wanted our music and design to play with the idea of black and white film emerging into the full color era."

Casting "was a dream" says Van. "I chose actors who could each look guilty, to heighten the sense of mystery," she laughs. The cast of local favorites includes: Bob Davis* as Hercule Poirot, Audrey Park,* Sara Richardson* (Ken Ludwig'S BASKERVILLE), Peter Christian Hansen*, Ryan Colbert* (GREAT EXPECTATIONS), Jamie White Jachimiec, H Adam Harris* (THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE WATSON INTELLIGENCE), Neal Beckman (ROMEO & JULIET), Rajane Katurah Brown* (MARIE AND ROSETTA).

The production team for Agatha Christie'S RULE OF THUMB includes Sarah Bradner (Set Designer), Mike Kittel (Lighting Designer), Jeff Bailey (Sound Designer), Keely Wolter (vocal coach), Connor McEvoy (Properties Designer), Hannah Holman (Dramaturg), Sonya Berlovitz (Costumer), Lyndsey Harter* (Stage Manager) and Samantha Diekman* (Assistant Stage Manager). Sophie Peyton is the Assistant Director.

*Member, Actors Equity Association

Ticket prices: Previews: $25-$37. Regular Run: $25-$60. Discounts are available for seniors, military personnel, those under age 30, and groups. Tickets are on sale at the Park Square Ticket Office, 20 W. Seventh Place, or by phone: 651.291.7005, (12 noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday), or online at parksquaretheatre.org.