A Murder is Announced
By Agatha Christie, adapted by Leslie Darbon · The Tower Theatre, Folkestone
| A Murder is Announced | |
.jpg) A Murder is Announced promotional image | |
| Production Details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 14–16 March 2024 |
| Venue | The Tower Theatre |
| Director | Caroline Dowling |
| Asst. Director | Friesia Schuil |
| Writer | Agatha Christie, adapted by Leslie Darbon |
| Producer | Robert Emptage |
| Amateur production by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of Samuel French Ltd. | |
The Folkestone-Hythe Operatic and Dramatic Society presented Agatha Christie's A Murder is Announced on 14th–16th March 2024 at The Tower Theatre, Folkestone.
Foreword
I have always been a fan of Agatha Christie, and remember watching Joan Hickson as Miss Marple on television as a young girl. I thought she was so wise, and understood the world in a way that I hoped that I might be able to one day. A Murder is Announced is the story that I first remember aspects of, so when the opportunity came to direct it, I jumped at the chance.
I have had a lot of fun with this play. There are some very old jokes in it that we no longer understand. One of those jokes is about two children called Pip and Emma. I researched the term and discovered that Pip and Emma was a reference to PM meaning afternoon. Another aspect of the play which is only alluded to but plays a bigger role in the books is a form of bartering that existed, as rationing was still a part of the 1950s experience where food was rationed. To get around this, each member of the scheme had an item of food that they grew or had access to, in a location within each other's houses. This was illegal, so a door was left open so items could be deposited unobserved.
It reminds me of a story from the Second World War, where some of my Belgian ancestors were involved in a similar undertaking. A piglet was hidden from the Germans and looked after by the participants, moving it around between them to stop the Germans getting a whiff of it. However word got out and the Germans did a house to house search for the pig, now fully grown. The occupants of the house where the pig was located came up with the brilliant idea of disguising the pig, now no longer alive, as an old woman stuck on the toilet, and the Germans — aside from looking through the keyhole of the door — did not inspect further. All participants partook from that enterprise undetected.
I hope you enjoy the play, and good luck with figuring out who did it.
- Caroline Dowling, Director
Cast
Production Team
Direction & Production
- Director – Caroline Dowling
Assistant DirectorDesign & Technical
- Set Design – Robert Emptage
Lighting DesignMedia & Marketing
- Design / Media – Malcolm Laye
Photography