by Natalia Kirychuk, Public Relations Writer
Cedarville University Theatre performs Ken Ludwig’s rendition of the classic Sherlock Holmes mystery “The Hound of Baskerville,” opening Thursday, April 5, at 8 p.m. at DeVries Theatre in the Stevens Student Center. The play will run through April 15. Tickets can be purchased at cedarville.edu/ticketinfo.
Sherlock Holmes and his trusted assistant, Watson, navigate a dizzying web of clues, silly accents, disguises and deceit as five actors portray 37 characters.
Will Douglas, sophomore theatre performance major from Statham, Georgia, will play Sherlock Holmes. Douglas previously played the role of Peter Van Daan in Cedarville University’s fall 2017 production of “The Diary of Anne Frank.”
“I’ve been very excited about the opportunity to play Sherlock,” said Douglas. “I read the books in middle school and fell in love with them. He became a hero for me through high school, so getting the chance to play him now is honestly a dream role.”
Paige Baker, sophomore theatre performance major from Grand Rapids, Michigan, plays 14 different characters. “My favorite is Cartwright because he has motions and fun banter with other characters,” Baker said. “I am so excited for the audience to hear and see how we put everything together and to hear their response to that.”
“Having only five actors, 37 roles, very fast costume and location changes, trying to stay faithful to the original novel but bringing out the humor has been very challenging but also very rewarding,” said Dr. Diane Conrad Merchant, professor of theatre, who will be directing the show.
Merchant previously directed the fall 2017 performance of “The Diary of Anne Frank,” the spring 2017 performance of “The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised]” and the fall 2016 performance of “Jane Eyre.”
Other cast members are Jordan Fredericks, junior music composition major from Warsaw, Indiana, who plays Dr. Watson; Cory Brookins, junior theatre tech major from Edgerton, Ohio, who plays 14 characters; and Blake Hansher, freshman theatre performance major from Grove City, Ohio, who plays the remaining seven characters.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 3,963 undergraduate, graduate and online students in more than 150 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, strong graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings and leading student satisfaction ratings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.