COSHOCTON − Two new actors will make their debut at Triple Locks Theatre in just a few days.
Alex Cappel of Newcomerstown and Sharon Tatro of Coshocton will take on significant roles in the classic murder-mystery “And Then There Were None.” Both have experience on the stage, but not as members of the Footlight Players.
Sharon Tatro, Alex Cappel and Sam Scott rehearse a scene for “And Then There Were None,” by Agatha Christie for the Coshocton Footlight Players at the Triple Locks Theater. Newcomerstown resident Cappel and Coshocton resident Tatro are appearing in their first play at the theater.
Traditional mystery play
The play by Agatha Christie is based on her 1939 novel. It was first performed in 1943 and mostly follows the book’s plot. There were film versions in 1945 and 1974 and a three-part British miniseries in 2015.
The story is about eight guests at an isolated mansion on an island where a married couple are the servants. All 10 are accused of having committed murder and one by one each are killed. Those who remain are trying to deduce which of them is the murderer.
Shane Pyle is the director and plays the role of Sir Lawrence Wargrave, a judge. Pyle has helmed the comedy mysteries “The Play That Goes Wrong” and “Clue” in recent years. However, he said many patrons were clamoring for a traditional murder mystery and they don’t get much more recognizable than the works of Christie.
“I’ve always liked this one because of the unique twists and turns throughout the play that leave you guessing until right up to the end who is the murderer,” Pyle stated. “You come to see this to see how true murder mystery is written for the stage, where you’re trying to misdirect the audience on purpose to guess somebody and then go, ‘whoa, that was completely wrong. It can’t be them, it has to be this person’ and have that happen to you several times. It’s quite a roller coaster ride.”
Nathan Mayse, Sam Scott, Alex Cappel and Chyanne Foster rehearse a scene for “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie for the Coshocton Footlight Players at the Triple Locks Theater. This play will mark the debut of Newcomerstown resident Alex Cappel.
The newcomers
Cappel has been involved with community theater for more than 25 years, doing shows at the Deersville Community Theater and The Little Theatre of Tuscarawas County in New Philadelphia. He saw a post about “And Then There Were None” and decided to audition.
He plays Philip Lombard, a charismatic maverick adventurer who is a bit of a smart aleck.
“The chemistry among this cast is amazing,” Cappel said. “I feel like I’ve been integrated. It’s felt like everything has meshed perfectly in here.”
Tatro plays Emily Brent, a religious, judgmental spinster. She doesn’t trust anybody else on the island and isn’t afraid to tell them.
She was involved with drama in high school more than 40 years ago. She’s always attended shows at the Triple Locks Theater, but never appeared in anything. She said the two hours of rehearsal is something she looks forward to everyday.
“I’ve always said, ‘that’s on my bucket list.’ I just wanted to dip my toe back in the water at least one time,” Tatro confided. “This play came up. I read through it. I read about the auditions. I said to myself, ‘do it or you’ll never do it.’ I stepped outside my comfort zone and here I am.”
‘We all get a chance to express ourselves’
Simply as a patron to the Coshoton Footlight Players, Tatro has been impressed with the shows. She believes the small community theater can hold its own with productions in much bigger cities.
Russ Fehrman has been in close to 20 productions since the late 1980s. He plays General MacKenzie, a gruff curmudgeon who loss his touch on reality.
He praised Cappel and Tatro as first-timers, but also gave kudos to the more experienced cast and crew.
“It’s great we have a chance for people to express themselves at all levels of talent − comedies, dramas, musicals,” Fehrman said of the value of CFP to the community. “I think it’s great we all get a chance to express ourselves like that in such a wonderful building.”
“And Then There Were None” will have performances at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25 and 2:30 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Triple Locks Theater, 685 N. Whitewoman St. Tickets are available footlightplayers.com and by calling the box office at 740-622-2959. Seats are $15 for adults and $10 for students.
The cast features Nathan Mayse, Sheila Samson-Witt, Lester McCurdy, Chyanne Foster, Alex Cappel, Ben McCurdy, Sam Scott, Russ Fehrman, Sharon Tatro, Shane Pyle and Nick Fischer. The director is Shane Pyle with Patty Wherley as producer.
Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 17 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or [email protected]. Follow him on X at @llhayhurst.
This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: New actors at Triple Locks take on big roles in murder mystery
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