SUBMITTED BY WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN COLLEGE

 

The Department of Theatre & Dance at West Virginia Wesleyan College will kick off the spring semester with The Case of the Sleepwalking Pig, a dinner murder mystery written and directed by Gregory Mach, associate professor of theatre. The show will run February 2 and 3 at the 88 Restaurant in Buckhannon and February 9 and 10 at the Uptown Event Center in Clarksburg.

 

“The show is unique in that there are scripted segments, but there is also a lot of improvisation as the suspects mingle with the audience so the detectives can solve the murder between courses,” stated Mach.

 

Two mountain families feuding may sound familiar, and these wacky hillbilly families have definitely got it in for each other. There is sure to be murder-most-ridiculous before it is all over. The play starts with a meeting to announce that Curly Boy, the 977-pound MacRoy family pig, has been kidnapped. The MacRoy’s know it was one of the Flatfields that did it, and they want the pig back before things get out of hand like back in the feuding days. The pastor tries to keep the peace as accusations and old animosities fly, stirring up the feud again.

 

“I wrote this play four years ago when the Cass Railroad asked for a Hatfields and McCoys sort of comedy for their evening train ride,” Mach said. “The script has gone through several versions since then as I have presented it in different venues, getting funnier and presenting new twists and turns in the plot. We are excited to get this version out to local audiences.”

 

The mystery features Karly Hunt of Parkersburg, WV as Mamaw Minnie Flatfield; Brianna Underwood of Lookout, WV as Ruby Flatfield; Michael Inman of Parkersburg, WV as Leland Flatfield; Aaron Harris of Anmoore, WV as Pastor Hiram; Chase Webb of Spencer, WV as Vernon MacRoy; Brandon Richter of Clarksburg, WV as Little Bobby MacRoy; Elizabeth Mearns of Nutter Fort, WV as Eloise MacRoy; and Buckhannon musician Bryce O’Loughlin as Uncle Parrot.

 

Join Wesleyan’s Theatre Department for a laugh-filled evening of mayhem and mountain music that will have the audience choosing sides and fighting the feud while solving the craziest murder ever seen in these mountains.

 

For tickets to 88’s showings on February 2 and 3, please call 304-473-1988. Tickets are $30 and includes dinner and the show. Doors open at 6:00 p.m., and the show begins at 6:30 p.m. Guests are encouraged to reserve their tickets in advance and pay for them at the door. The 88 is located at 88 East Main Street, Buckhannon.

 

For tickets to the Uptown Event Center’s showings on February 9 and 10, please email VintageTheatreCo@gmail.com or call 1-855-VTC-8588. Tickets are $25 and includes dinner and the show, which begins at 6:30 p.m. The Uptown Event Center is located at 305 Washington Avenue, Clarksburg.

 

For more information on cultural happenings at West Virginia Wesleyan College, please visit www.wvwc.edu