Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap" Presented by JCU Theater Society

The Mousetrap Cast Photo by Georgia Shomber

The John Cabot University Theater Society will perform the entirely student-directed production of Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap on March 22 and 23 at 7pm in the Aula Magna Regina.

The Mousetrap is a “whodunnit” style mystery full of romance and twists. Joseph Armenio, Lydia Smith, and Angelica Servan Mercatali, JCU degree-seeking students and co-directors of the production, chose this play as a challenge. “We have never put on a full-length play, nor a murder mystery,” said Armenio, who is also co-president of the JCU Theater Society.

It has been two years since the JCU Theater Society’s last production, Noises Off. In the past, the group has focused on acting games, short plays, and improv skits at their weekly meetings. “The Drama Club, meanwhile, has been putting on lots of wonderful musicals, but we wanted to bring some drama back onto JCU’s stage,” said Armenio.

The eight-person cast is made up of degree-seeking and visiting students. Classical Studies major Joel Hashop, a freshman degree seeker from Texas, plays the role of Detective Sergeant Trotter. “The play starts off with a murder, and my character is trying to solve it,” he said. Hashop has been acting since middle school and hopes to pursue it in the future. “Performing on stage allows you to become your character. There is a lot of pressure throughout a performance, but it is so rewarding to have that experience with your cast mates and the audience.”

Sarah Kritz, a visiting student from the State University of New York Purchase School, joins Hashop on stage in the role of Christopher Wren. “Yes, I’m playing a boy. My character is comedic, so I just do what I think is funny,” said Kritz. When she saw flyers for auditions posted around campus, she thought she would try out, and she was happily cast. At her home university, Kritz is involved with the sketch comedy group Purchase Late Night with Saraphina.

“It’s very exciting to see the students taking on a full production of a classic play. They have done all the work themselves. I’m impressed,” said JCU Professor Daniel Connelly, advisor to the Theater Society. “Agatha Christie is a thriller writer. What she does very well is write fantastic plots, and that is exactly what one experiences watching The Mousetrap.”

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