Lights! Camera! Murder! first OAP Community Theatre production as independent group

(Left to right) James Callaghan and Alicia Sauve star in Lights! Camera! Murder! presented by OAP Community Theatre from June 13 to 15. (Ted McLauchlin photo)

Emily Stewart, Echo Correspondent

The newest OAP Community Theatre production will take audiences back to the 1940s in a case of whodunnit.

The theatre, which specializes in one-act plays, will present Lights! Camera! Murder! At St. David’s United Church. The production is a 1940s murder mystery by Todd Wallinger, and it takes place on the set of a murder mystery film, where the cast and crew try to solve an on-set crime.

Lights! Camera! Murder! will run from June 13 to 15. Yes, that means the opening night is on Friday the 13th. Fitting for a murder mystery.

"We really didn't think about it at the time when they booked the dates, but it's very fitting now, yes absolutely,” said producer Ted McLauchlin.

The production’s costumes and dialogue cement the play as a period piece. So far, rehearsals are going well, and the actors are taking on any challenges that come with putting on a 1940s period piece.

"It's not an easy play to stage because of the time period, and there are a lot of things happening,” McLauchlin said. “A lot of people coming on and off at all times, so it's been a challenge, but they have risen to that challenge."

The play is OAP Community Theatre’s first production as an independent theatre company. Previously, it held productions like Our Little Secret and the beloved Festival of One Act Plays at Theatre Woodstock. St. David’s United Church is also a new venue for OAP, so they were looking for a production that complemented the new beginnings.

"We wanted something that was fresh and different and something new, and something that would incorporate some really great character actors, and this was the play that rose to the top for that choice,” he explained.

McLauchlin added the team is working hard on the production and hopes audiences enjoy it.

“A lot of these people have some experience on the stage, but some of them are very new, and we're always excited about that,” he said. “It's a community project. Everything we do is about our community and we just hope that people will take some time. It's not a long play. To come out and enjoy it at a beautiful venue and really come and support is what we're hoping."

Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased either online via https://www.oapcommunitytheatre.com or at Carman’s Foto Source in Woodstock’s Springbank Plaza.