Flat Rock Announces Chilling Thriller DIAL M FOR MURDER

Halloween is just around the corner and the Playhouse is celebrating the season with the opening of a sophisticated, chillingly sinister thriller that will hold audiences spellbound with suspense! For patrons looking for some spooky seasonal entertainment,Dial M for Murder will haunt theater-lovers with the American crime mystery tale originally introduced in the 1954 Alfred Hitchcock film of the same title. Featuring Playhouse favorite Scott Treadway and a gang of veteran Vagabonds, Peter Thomasson, Willy Repoley, VivIan Smith & Michael MacCauley, Dial M for Murder will run on the Mainstage in the Village of Flat Rock from October 27th through November 11th.

In this unnerving plot, Tony Wendice (played by Treadway) has married his wife, Margot (played by Smith), for her money and enacts a plan to murder her for the very same reason. Thinking he has arranged the perfect murder and a brilliant alibi for himself, Tony blackmails a scoundrel he used to know into strangling her for a fee of one thousand pounds. Unfortunately, or fortunately for Margot, the plan goes awry, the murderer gets murdered and the victim survives. In taking advantage of the opportunity to have Margot wrongly convicted of murdering the scoundrel and sentenced to execution, Tony finds himself trapped in a scene of unbearable suspense as the police inspector and an admirer of Margot discover the truth and pressure him to reveal his guilt.

With a cast of veteran Vagabonds, Dial M for Murder is stock full of talent. Scott Treadway has appeared throughout the Playhouse's 2017 Season with memorable moments including: his standing-ovation inducing work in A Tuna Christmas, his scene-stealing performance as various ensemble characters in Annie and Amadeus, and his Elvis-inspired portrayal of the Pharoah inJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Peter Thomasson is also a familiar face this season after his unforgettable performances as Franklin D. Roosevelt in Annie and Baron Gottfried Van Swieten in Amadeus. However, most patrons will still be talking about his outstanding work last season as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. Like Thomasson, Michael MacCauley also took the Playhouse stage this season in Annie and Amadeus, in his notable performances as the Butler and Count Franz Orsini-Rosenberg. Willy Repoley & VivIan Smith, both Playhouse favorites returning for their first appearance in the Playhouse's 2017 season, were last seen in A Christmas Carol andProof, respectively.

The Vagabond Players encourage patrons to celebrate the season of chills, thrills, ghouls and goblins with a story of crime, a little mystery, and a whole lot of suspense!

Directed by Angie Flynn-McIver, Dial M for Murder will feature Scenic Design by Dennis C. Maulden, Costume Design by Zach Morrison, Lighting Design by Meghan Dougherty, Sound Design by Kurt Conway, and Props by Cassidy Bowles. Stage Manager, Bill Muñoz, and Assistant Stage Manager, Lindsey Moss, make up the production's stage management teaM. Adam Goodrum and Christopher Simpson will serve as Production Manager and Technical Director, respectively.

The Executive Producer of Dial M for Murder is Terry Eisenhower Signature Properties. Flat Rock Playhouse 2017 Sponsors include: Mainstage Series Sponsor, Henderson County Tourism Development Authority; Opening Night Sponsor, BMW of Asheville; Official Transportation Sponsor, Hunter Automotive Group.

TICKETS AND SCHEDULE

Dial M for Murder will run from October 27th through November 11th at the Flat Rock Playhouse Main Stage in the Village of Flat Rock. Performances Wednesday and Thursday evenings at7:30PM, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00PM, matinees Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 2:00PM. Tickets are available for ­$15 - $50 and can be purchased by calling the Playhouse Box Office at 828-693-0731, toll-free at 866-737-8008 or online at www.flatrockplayhouse.org. Flat Rock Playhouse is located at 2661 Greenville Hwy, Flat Rock, NC 28731.

Flat Rock Playhouse's Little Shop of Horrors currently playing at the Playhouse Mainstage through October 21st.

FLAT ROCK PLAYHOUSE

In 1937, a group of struggling performers, led by Robroy Farquhar, organized themselves as the Vagabond Players. The Vagabonds worked in a variety of places over the course of three years, and in 1940 found themselves in the Blue Ridge region of Western North Carolina. The local and tourist community welcomed them with open arms when they presented their first summer season of plays in a 150-year-old grist mill they converted into The Old Mill Playhouse at Highland Lake. So successful was that summer, they returned in 1941. After WWII, the Vagabond Players reorganized, came back to the region and opened a playhouse in nearby Lake Summit. The Lake Summit Playhouse thrived during the post war years and soon the Vagabond Players were looking for a larger and permanent home. In 1952, the troupe of performers, and a newly formed board of directors, made an offer to buy an 8-acre lot in the Village of Flat Rock. This new home made the Vagabonds "locals" and a rented big top gave birth to Flat Rock Playhouse. As the beautiful Western Carolina region continued to grow, so did the Playhouse and in 1961, by Act of the North Carolina General Assembly, Flat Rock Playhouse was officially designated The State Theatre of North Carolina. What began as a few weeks of summer performances in 1940 is now a nine-month season of plays including Broadway musicals, comedy, drama, and theatre for young audiences. The Playhouse's dual mission of producing the performing arts and providing education in the performing arts includes a professional series; a summer and fall college apprentice and intern program; and Studio 52, family focused programming that provides immersive, hands-on theatrical experiences for children in kindergarten through adults. Flat Rock Playhouse now hosts over 98,000 patrons annually and is a significant contributor to the local economy and the Arts in North Carolina.

Photo: Michael MacCauley (Lesgate) and VivIan Smith (Margot) in Dial M for Murder
Photo by Treadshots (Scott Treadway)

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