PCM drama needs audience help to solve ‘Mystery at Shady Acres’

Do you like a good mystery? Is crime drama one of your favorite genres? How about solving a case of thievery, sound thrilling? If the answer is “yes,” then PCM Middle School is your scene Nov. 11-13 when the PCM Drama Department presents “Mystery at Shady Acres ... or Carats and Crumpets.”

The show, written by Canadian playwright and resident artist with the Royal Conservatory of Music Michelle Davis, is a crime/comedy.

The “baffling” theft at Shady Acres, a cozy hotel tucked away in the remote English countryside in the late 1920s, has shocked the hotel staff. They’re frantically preparing for the arrival of their most prestigious guests ever — the wealthy and famous Fairfaxes from America. Everything seems to be going awry as the hotel is turned topsy-turvy with zany activity.

Hotel manager Mr. Clifford manages to usher the English Tea Garden tour group out of the lobby early and to straighten out the confusion between the Fairfaxes and the Brighthams, another pair of wealthy guests. Just when he thinks everything is going smoothly, Mrs. Fairfax’s valuable diamond necklace is stolen.

This year’s annual PCM High School fall play will be interactive with an element of audience participation. Guests in the auditorium help the cast decipher who stole the valuable diamond necklace of the wealthy Mrs. Fairfax.

Audience members will watch Act I and have a chance to interview suspects. Guests will have an “informant tip sheet” to guess who the thief might be. The true thief will be revealed in Act II.

PCM High School English/drama teacher and play director Samantha Pohl said this year’s cast is big, more than 30 students. Working with a script which includes audience participation is a new challenge for Pohl and her students but fall play production at PCM is “big,” she said, and the kids have been up to the task.

“Kids love doing this. Every year it’s a pretty big deal to people,” she said. “They’ve done a really good job with their lines. This is one of the best years with line memorization since I’ve been here. ... (The play) is definitely on its feet.”

Show times are 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11 and Saturday, Nov 12 and 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13. If the PCM varsity football team reaches the state semi-final game in Cedar Falls Saturday, that show will be rescheduled at 7 p.m. Nov. 15. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students.

PCM junior Kinsey Phipps plays Beth Morgan, one of three maids in the hotel. She has been a part of PCM drama productions for the last three years. Phillips starred as Cindy Lou Harper in the 2014 spring production of “Gone With the Breeze,” and Lucy Neblet in the 2015 fall production of “Romeo and Juliet Together (And Alive!) at Last.”

Phipps said it’s been a fun challenge to get the right personality and demeanor for her character.

“In that past, I have always played sweet characters. In this play, I am able to take on a sassier attitude when portraying Beth,” she said. “It’s been a lot of fun trying to figure out the best way to exude her audaciousness in contrast to my usual endearing roles.”

Contact Mike Mendenhall at mmendenhall@myprairiecitynews.com