DIAL M FOR MURDER Comes to The Fine Arts Center Next Month

The Fine Arts Center will unveil its premiere production for the 2024-25 theatre season: the gripping classic, “Dial M for Murder.” This highly anticipated performance will run from September 19 to October 6, 2024, on the FAC mainstage. 

“Dial M for Murder,” adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from Frederick Knott’s original play, will be directed by Elise Santora (“Water by the Spoonful”). This new adaptation of the celebrated murder mystery that inspired Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic film promises to deliver an intense and thrilling experience for audiences. 

Set against the backdrop of a suspense-filled plot, “Dial M for Murder” follows Tony Wendice, a man who suspects his wife, Margot, of infidelity. Although the affair seems to have ended, Tony's jealousy leads him to concoct a dangerous scheme of deception and murder. As the web of suspicion tightens, both Tony and Margot find themselves ensnared in a perilous game of danger and betrayal. 

Elise Santora’s direction promises a fresh take on this classic thriller, exploring mature themes and adult situations with a modern edge. “Even if you’ve seen Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 film adaptation of the Frederick Knott teleplay,” said Santora, “you’ll experience this smartly updated adaptation that has many surprise twists in a different way. It’s noirish and flirts ever so lightly with camp. A truly excellent thriller, it fulfills the rules of the genre while subverting them. It elicits dread and suspense; it hinges on a good villain; it privileges the psyche of the murderer over the victim. Hatcher's discourse dances on the tightrope between tension and relief without losing sight of the grounding, realistic reasons for a person to commit murder. ‘Dial M’ lives up to its reputation as a mid-century thriller but seen through Hatcher’s fresh eyes. The pace is quicker, and the women are smarter and more complex.”  

The cast of “Dial M for Murder” includes Maggie Tisdale, last seen on the FAC stage as the Nurse in “Shakespeare in Love,” as Margot Wendice; Amaya Egusquiza, making her FAC stage debut, as Maxine Hadley; Jonas Cohen, making his FAC stage debut, as Tony Wendice; Jeff Ronan, making is FAC stage debut, as Lesgate; and Brian Landis Folkins, last seen on the FAC stage as Ed in “The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night Time” and as Charles Whitmore in “Church and State,” as Inspector Hubbard. 

The artistic team includes Lex Liang (scenic design), Harry Nadal (costume design), Holly Rawls (lighting design), Travis Wright (sound design), Maia Rychlik (co-properties supervisor), Rebecca Savage (co-properties supervisor), Elizabeth Goodman (stage manager), and Liz Lee (assistant stage manager). 

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