‘The Game’s Afoot’ On Chatham Drama Guild Stage

As temperatures dive and shadows lengthen, we find ourselves in the mood for some seasonal mystery. As we all know, sometimes the best autumnal whodunits come with a touch — or a lot — of comedy. 
 “The Game’s Afoot” on the Chatham Drama Guild stage beginning Nov. 15 is both a comedy with a murder mystery at its heart and a great deal of fun for those who love the world of Sherlock Holmes and the wonderful stage and screen artists who bring the mysteries of Arthur Conan Doyle to life. The play centers around a real-life Sherlock Holmes actor and takes place in his real Connecticut castle. 
 The time is December 1936. Broadway star William Gillette, admired the world over for his leading role in the play “Sherlock Holmes,” has invited his fellow cast members to his Connecticut castle for a weekend of revelry. But when one of the guests is stabbed to death, the festivities in the isolated house of tricks and mirrors quickly turn dangerous.

While preparing to stage “The Game’s Afoot,” director Scott Hamilton, his wife Kathy and several other intrepid Chatham Drama Guild members made the trek to the real Gillette Castle, located in Gillette Castle State Park in East Haddam, Conn., to get the feeling of the play’s setting firsthand. 
 “It was a wonderful visit to gain some insight into the real character of Gillette,” Hamilton said. “His home is the setting for the play, although author Ken Ludwig describes the set as being much different in décor and style from the castle. Having said that, the myriad gadgets that Gillette had in his home are referenced in the play, and it's nice to know they have their origin in reality. There are also exhibits at the Castle going into Gillette's early life and family as well as his career which helps us add layers to his depiction on stage.”
 Hamilton said “The Game's Afoot” is Ludwig's homage to the whole mystery genre. In a lengthy introduction to the play, Ludwig references the amount and quality of research he did before writing it. 
 “The structure of the play, and the conventions he uses to be true to the classic mystery are wonderful to work with for our cast,” Hamilton said.
 The director added that comedies are great fun to direct, requiring both a carefully maintained sense of the play’s pace and the ability to encourage the actors in the cast to perfect their comedic timing. 
 "Playing with scenes in rehearsal to pull the humor out, and being able to share the discovery of the pace of a scene, is a wonderful collaborative exercise with your cast,” Hamilton said.
 When a comedy is set within the shadowy realm of a murder mystery, autumn just seems the perfect time of year to enjoy that unique mixture of thrills and laughter. 
 “I think earlier darkness and spooky spirits in the air have something to do with it,” Hamilton said. “With fall comes great weather to curl up by the fire with a good book; perhaps a play can be a good substitute for the book, and having other audience members to share the scares and the laughs makes us feel not so alone to be frightened.”

 Hamilton expressed great appreciation for the Chatham Drama Guild, an all-volunteer community theater and labor of love which couldn’t exist without the hard work of everyone involved to bring productions from the spark of an idea to the stage. 
 “All of us involved in productions at the Chatham Drama Guild do it because we enjoy doing it,” Hamilton said. “To properly produce quality theater takes a roomful of dedicated volunteers enjoying their work and each other in what becomes a close-knit community. The major payoff for a lot of hard work and challenge is when an audience appreciates your efforts with their attendance and applause.”
 The Chatham Drama Guild is currently seeking to increase its team of volunteers to staff the front-of-house duties as well as backstage production needs. 
 “Come join us,” Hamilton said. “Be a part of creating great theater. Our civilization needs to keep cultural outlets alive and viable. We have a great gem here in Chatham with the Drama Guild. We need to cherish it and become participants in the creative community to pass that cultural jewel on to the next generations.”
 “The Game’s Afoot” will light up the Chatham Drama Guild stage Nov. 15 to Dec. 8, featuring Bragan Thomas as William Gillette, Sheila Jameson as Martha Gillette, Geof Newton as Felix Geisel, Pam Banas as Marge Geisel, John O’Hara as Simon Wright, Alison Hyder as Inspector Goring and Rachel Hischak as Daria Chase. The role of Aggie Wheeler will be played by Erica Morris from Nov. 15 to Dec. 1, and by Susanna Creel from Dec. 6 to Dec. 8. The producer and costumer is Pam Banas, with light and sound by Rachel Banas, set and light design by Scott Hamilton, sound design by Don Howell, and set construction by Scott Hamilton, Pam Banas, Rachel Banas, Mike Guzowski and Derek Mickle.