All An Act's 15th Year of Christie: The Mysterious Affair at Styles

Contributed

Local theater group All An Act continues to work on restoring and repairing their building which was damaged by fire last year, but the show must go on! Catch their season opener, The Mysterious Affair at Styles: A Hercule Poirot Mystery, hosted by the Station Dinner Theatre.

BEGINNING FRIDAY, FEB. 7

All An Act is back, with its 15th Agatha Christie production (in as many years), The Mysterious Affair at Styles: A Hercule Poirot Mystery, under the co-direction of David W. Mitchell (who is also artistic director for the company) and Jess LaFlamme. Not only are they sharing directorial duties for some of their most experienced and amazing Agatha actors, but the duo also wrote the stage adaptation.

"Jess LaFlamme and I work in tandem," explained Mitchell. He reads the book twice and then, "The third read is when I actually start writing. Then I forward it to Jess, who checks spelling and grammar errors, as we go." They both remark how Mitchell is "a terrible typist," with LaFlamme adding, "I will check things against the book and make sure things flow. There's a lot of conversations over several weeks as we write and edit."

All An Act (AAA) audiences who are used to visiting the theater at 17th and Poplar streets must, as it happens, redirect for this performance, to the Station Dinner Theatre. Back in late April 2024, a devastating fire tore through the building where the group is housed. The adjoining homeless shelter was able to resume operations, but AAA faced extensive damage; the theater company immediately acted to begin restorations but did not have to give up its productions entirely.

"We are so grateful to the owners Paul and Rae Jean Urbanowicz for their generosity in [letting us] use their space," said Mitchell. LaFlamme added, "They offered it to us a while ago and we jumped at the opportunity."

Commenting on the state of the original All An Act theater, Mitchell remarked, "The historic ceiling had been painstakingly repaired and repainted." And while "it's going to be a while," everyone involved looks to the future. "I echo Dave and his optimism," said LaFlamme. "We are ready when the building is!"

Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sundays: 3 p.m. // Station Dinner Theatre, 4940 Peach St. // $5-$18 // For schedule, tickets, and to donate to AAA's GoFundMe, visit: allanact.net