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Make an Appointment With Death

The community has a mortal booking but it's the highly entertaining kind of brush with murder. The Nechako Community Theatrics Society (NCTS) presents an old favourite whodunit for their next play, Agatha Christie's Appointment With Death.
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Nechako Community Theatrics Society cast members rehearse Agatha Christie's Appointment With Death. Show starts on May 31 at Artspace.

The community has a mortal booking but it's the highly entertaining kind of brush with murder.

The Nechako Community Theatrics Society (NCTS) presents an old favourite whodunit for their next play, Agatha Christie's Appointment With Death.

The amateur theatre company's spokesperson for the play, Laura Bennett, said this was "a thrilling murder mystery set in Jerusalem, 1945. A reworking of her earlier novel, it contains enough plot twists and turns to keep even the best of amateur detectives on their toes."

This was one of Christie's best-loved murder mystery stories. It was first published in 1938 and features her longtime protagonist detective Hercule Poirot.

It was made into a major motion picture starring Peter Ustinov, Lauren Bacall, Carrie Fisher and an all-star supporting cast.

It was made into a television movie as well starring Christina Cole, Tim Curry and Elizabeth McGovern.

It was also a BBC radio play, but it has lived on most substantially in the form of a stage production that is done time after time around the world, thanks to the Samuel French Inc. script publishing house.

It becomes one of the most recognizable scripts the NCTS has ever produced.

"The society members discussed it and agreed they wanted to try something a bit more serious and give our acts a chance to develop a bit more," said Bennett. "Up to this point we have done comedic things, fairy tales, local productions, things like that, so this was to give a new dimension to our society and our actors."

The NCTS is a company with a difference in its mandate. It exists to give theatrical opportunities with an emphasis on inclusiveness. All backgrounds of people are welcome and encouraged to join their creative efforts, which gives a chance for many who normally do not get to perform or work on a stage crew under normal circumstances.

Many who do get those chances are also brought in to help mentor these aspiring creators and creates bridge relationships between NCTS and the other performing arts groups of the city.

"It really has stretched them," said Bennett, watching the Appointment With Death rehearsal process. "We're seeing some different work from our seasoned actors, and it brought out some others we had never worked with before who approached us to take part. I would say at least a third of the cast is new to us."

NCTS was fonded in 2012. They were a 2018 nominee in the Lifestyle Transformation category of the Healthier You Awards, recognizing their work in encouraging local actors.

"I really feel that we are meeting our goal of making community theate accessible to a wide variety of people," Bennett said. "In the past we have had actors as young as six, our oldest was in her 80s, we've had participants from AiMHi, from Project Friendship Society, several English-as-a- second-language actors in the past, so we try to finds space for people to be involved. If they can't fit into one production, we try to plan ways of involving them in future productions. We are definitely open to whomever wants to come out from all walks of life. We have students, lawyers, teachers, just everyone."

This play is another step, as well, in advancing the crew's skills. Bennett said each new show is a growth opportunity for their set builders, makeup artists, costume designers, music and choreography participants, and effects technicians. They, too, are gathered from the wide ranging community "and we are having fun with it, as we stretch ourselves. We know this is community theatre. We want it to be good, but we don't stress about perfection."

Appointment With Death will be performed at Artspace on May 31, June 1, June 7, and June 8 (all shows starting at 7 p.m.). Tickets are $20 each, available in advance at Books & Co., and at the door the evenings of the events.