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Kamsack Players to stage comical mystery as dinner theatre

For their annual Christmas dinner theatre production the Kamsack Players theatre troupe will be asking its audience if they鈥檝e ever wondered what goes on at a small town council meeting.
Rehearsal
Photographed in the Kamsack Library last week as they were participating in a rehearsal of their play Death and Taxes, which will be staged as a dinner theatre in the OCC Hall at the end of November, from left were Kamsack Players Nikki Larson, Zennovia Duch, James Perry and Adrian Hovrisko.

聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 For their annual Christmas dinner theatre production the Kamsack Players theatre troupe will be asking its audience if they鈥檝e ever wondered what goes on at a small town council meeting.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In the small town, which for this production has been re-named Ramsack, they鈥檙e looking for a murderer, said Jack Koreluik, the director of Death and Taxes, a two-act play by Pat Cook. Although a murder mystery, the play is a comedy.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Miss Martindale, the drama teacher, sets up the scene of the crime and soon it becomes apparent that everyone on town council had dealings of one sort or another with the victim, and it looks like every one of them has something to hide, says the play鈥檚 synopsis.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Mayor Kathleen Lyles boldly announces that the meeting will be more like a coroner's jury than the usual round of arguments. Not only was a man murdered, but he was an employee of the IRS.

鈥淪omehow I don't feel that bad,鈥 Carl Johansen says, as the sheriff clamps the cuffs on him, making him the prime suspect.

Slowly it becomes apparent the entire town council had seen the man, and each of them seems to be hiding something.

Who murdered the stranger? Was it Cora Sedgewick, who was still dizzy at the time from stepping on a hoe and being thumped in the face with its handle? Or was it Eddie King, editor of the Ramsack Times newspaper, who's right on the spot to report the facts, if he could only find a pencil?

Or maybe it was the mayor herself, who was doing her laundry in the back of the town hall?

The intrigue is chock-full of small-town characters and hilarious dialogue, Koreluik said. And, as an added bonus, it is being produced as an audience participation mystery where the audience can not only see the scene of the crime but also question the suspects.

In the cast of Death and Taxes are several veterans of Players鈥 productions, including: Zennovia Duch, who portrays Kathleen Lyles, the mayor of Ramsack, who is a 鈥渞ather stylish鈥 woman of about 45 years of age; Adrian Hovrisko, portraying Eddie King, the pushy and brash editor of the Ramsack Times; Nikki Larson as Lydia Kleft, a 鈥渕ousy鈥 secretary at town hall; Aliki Tryphonopoulos, who crosses genders to portray Wesley Thorne, the sheriff who is 鈥渂uilt like a one-time football player;鈥 Ashley Hollett, who is Thorne鈥檚 deputy; James Perry, who portrays Carl Johansen, a sarcastic citizen, and Shelley Filipchuk, who is Dr. Effie Deacon, a standard, but quarrelsome country doctor.

Newcomers to a Players鈥 cast are: Tanya Riabko, who portrays Mattie Johansen (Carl鈥檚 wife), a no-nonsense type; Beth Dix as Cora Sedgewick, the epitome of the nosey neighbour, and Annette Purchase as Evelyn Martindale, 鈥渢he drama teacher with an eye for what鈥檚 correct and an ear for when it鈥檚 not.鈥

The play takes place in the Ramsack high school auditorium in the present.

Death and Taxes will be staged as a dinner theatre in the OCC Hall in Kamsack on November 27 and 28 and as a matinee with coffee and dessert on November 29, when the admission will be half price.

The Kamsack Players began rehearsals in the Kamsack Library following a casting meeting on September 28. This week they moved to the Playhouse stage for twice-weekly rehearsals and they plan to move to the portable stage at the OCC Hall during the last week of November.

Admission is by advance tickets only which will soon be available at The Glass Door.

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