Tucson, AZ---The Invisible Theatre closes out its landmark 52nd season with THRILLER OF THE YEAR by Glyn Jones and directed by Susan Claassen. This mystery whodunnit features an all-star cast of 5 women: Betsy Kruse Craig, To-Ree-Nee Wolf, Molly McKasson, Susan Baker and Meagan Jones. Gillian Howard, a successful crime novelist, returns home late after having received the award for the 'Thriller of the Year’. She finds that a copy of her latest award-winning book, 'The Lady is Dead', has been delivered with no note and no indication as to who it is from. As the evening unfolds, a series of unfortunate accidents occur. She soon finds out why: someone is trying to kill her using methods from her own book. As a number of visitors to her home fall under suspicion, Gillian faces a race against time to discover the identity of her would-be murderer before it is too late! THRILLER OF THE YEAR will run from April 23-May 5. The play is 85 minutes with no intermission. Age recommendation is High School PG.
Very few of us are what we seem ---Agatha Christie
*A special low-cost preview performance will take place on April 23 ($20), Tickets for all other performances are $40. Group discounts are available. For tickets and additional information please call (520) 882-9721 or visit www.invisibletheatre.com. This show is made possible in part through the generous support of Sonora Investment Management.
FACTS ABOUT THRILLER OF THE YEAR
CAST
Betsy Kruse Craig - Gillian Howard
To-Ree-Nee Wolf - Irene Knight
Molly McKasson - Edith Howard
Susan Baker - Beryl Spence
Meagan Jones - Madge Robinson
Performance Dates
Tuesday, April 23, 2024 7:30 PM Preview
Wednesday, April 24, 2024 7:30 PM Opening
Thursday, April 25, 2024 7:30 PM
Friday, April 26, 2024 7:30 PM
Saturday, April 27, 2024 7:30 PM
Sunday, April 28, 2024 2:00 PM
Wednesday, May 1, 2024 7:30 PM
Thursday, May 2, 2024 7:30 PM
Friday, May 3, 2024 7:30 PM
Saturday, May 4, 2024 2:00 PM
Saturday, May 4, 2024 7:30 PM
Sunday, May 5, 2024 2:00 PM
PRODUCTION STAFF
Director: Susan Claassen
Producers: Susan Claassen and Betsy Kruse Craig
Set Design: Susan Claassen and James Blair
Light Design: James Blair and Diana Knoepfle
Costume Design: Maryann Trombino
Sound Design: Rob Boone
Prop Design: Maggie Clark
Productions Stage Manager: Diana Knoepfle
ABOUT THE PEOPLE
Susan Claassen, Director, celebrates her 49th anniversary with the Invisible Theatre (IT). As Managing Artistic Director of the Invisible Theatre, she has produced and directed over 600 productions, including such favorites as the world premiere of LETTERS TO SALA, and the award winning THE IMMIGRANT, LOOPED and EMERGENCY. Susan has been a member of actors’ Equity Association (the professional actors' union) for 50 years. Suz herself has acted in over 70 plays including 4 one-woman productions, SHIRLEY VALENTINE, THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE, BECOMING DR. RUTH, and her award-winning A CONVERSATION WITH EDITH HEAD which premiered in 2002. This production continues to tour coast to coast and internationally with well over 1,000 performances. Her next performance will be in June 2024 at The Oklahoma City Museum of Art Edith Head Retrospective. Susan was awarded Phoenix New Times Best Actor 2012 - Edith Head, LA Stage Alliance Ovation Award Nominee Best Actress for her portrayal of Edith Head in A CONVERSATION WITH EDITH HEAD, Broadway World LA Award as Best Actress for her portrayal of Edith Head in A CONVERSATION WITH EDITH HEAD, The San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle 43rd Annual Excellence in Theatre Awards for Best Solo Production and Best Production. Susan’s many accolades and honors include Tucson Lifestyle’s Ten Most Admired Women, City of Hope Woman of the Year “Spirit of Life” Award, Distinguished Service Award from the State Federation for Exceptional Children, TUSD Superintendent’s Honor Roll Award for Special Education, Torch Humanitarian Award for Efforts on Behalf of People with Aids, Governor’s Award for Women Who Create, and was in the first group of inductees to “Arizona’s 48 Most Intriguing Women”.
Glyn Idris Jones, Playwright, was a South African actor, writer and director. In a career spanning almost sixty years, his theatrical career encompassed work in the UK, on the continent, and in the United States and most famously, wrote some scripts and had some minor roles in Doctor Who. He wrote the screenplay for the Oscar Nominated Columbia Film, A King's Story on the life of the Duke of Windsor Edward VIII. He was chief writer and script editor for 20th Century Fox's most successful children's series, Here Come the Double Deckers. Jones contributed a half dozen scripts for the Children's Film Foundation series and wrote an episode of The Gold Robbers (1969). In the UK, he had written book and lyrics for two musicals with composer Kenny Clayton, CUPID and BLACK MARIA and his witty two hander play, EARLY ONE MORNING, became the musical FUGUE IN TWO FLATS with music by Paul Knight. His popular musical version of PETER PAN has music by Andy Davidson. In 1997, he moved to Vamos, Crete, Greece which meant forgoing any acting or directing but he kept writing, starting with his autobiography No Official Umbrella, two novels, Angel and The Journeys We Make, a Gothic horror The Museum Mysteries & Other Short Stories, and five books in his comedy/thriller series featuring a quirky private eye, Thornton King, and his sidekick, Miss Holly Day: Dead On Time, Just In Case, Dead On Target, The Cinelli Vases, and Celluloid and Tinsel. His play THRILLER OF THE YEAR was first produced at the Golders Green Hippodrome in 1967, still receives numerous productions around the world.
THE INVISIBLE THEATRE
The Invisible Theatre (IT) of Tucson, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, is located at 1400 N. First Avenue (at Drachman), Tucson, AZ 85719 and is dedicated to producing quality theatre and arts education experiences for all facets of the community, in an intimate setting that showcases local professional talent and guest artists. Started in 1971 as an arena for local playwrights, the theatre has expanded its programs to include adaptations of classics and recent off- Broadway plays and musicals, while continuing to encourage new playwrights through both full productions and stage readings. Our award-winning arts education program for special needs children focuses on ability rather than dwelling on disability. Our commitment to artistic excellence, diversity, equity, inclusion and quality has made the Invisible Theatre a very visible force in the local, national, and international arts scene.
Tickets are also available 24/7 through Audience View at www.invisibletheatre.com.
Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express are accepted.
Online Media Assets: Production photos will be available April 10th at www.invisibletheatre.com
or contact Norma Gentry at norma@pvincaz.com.
COVID PROTOCOLS
The health and safety of our artists, audiences and staff continues to be our top priority. While masks, full vaccination and booster shots are no longer required, these health and safety measures are subject to change, at Invisible Theatre’s sole discretion and are based on evolving health and safety guidance and conditions.
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