(courtesy of Peninsula Players)

A dramatic audio production of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” adapted and directed by Kevin Christopher Fox, will be broadcast on Peninsula Players Theatre’s website beginning at 9 p.m. Friday, October 23 running through Monday, November 30, 2020.

The Murders in the Rue Morgue” is a collaboration between Peninsula Players Theatre and Chicago Radio Theatre to say thank you to patrons for their support during the theater’s intermission and as a way to safely present stories during the pandemic. “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” features the talents of Peninsula Players veteran performers Erica Elam, Kevin Christopher Fox, Neil Friedman and Greg Vinkler, with original music by Christopher Kriz. They are joined by foley artist Ele Matelan and performers Allison Selby Cook and Mike Jimerson.

“The Murders in the Rue Morgue” is part of the Peninsula Players program, The Play’s the Thing. It is funded in part by generous grants from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin, The Shubert Foundation and operating funds from Peninsula Players Theatre. Listening is free; donations are encouraged. Donations may be made by calling the Box Office weekdays at (920) 868-3287 Ext. 1, visiting www.peninsulaplayers.com, or may be mailed to the theater’s winter address, P.O. Box 849, Fish Creek, WI 54212.

(courtesy of Peninsula Players)

Murder in a Small Town ...

As a young journalist for the Des Moines Daily News in 1900, Susan Glaspell reported on a sensational murder case in rural Iowa. Her observations and experiences covering this true historical crime inspired her to write Trifles.

Farmer John Wright is murdered - strangled to death - in the middle of the night with his wife sound asleep at his side. John's withdrawn and timid wife, Minnie, claims an intruder broke in and committed the horrible deed. Not convinced of this version of events, the sheriff, county attorney and her neighbors visit the farm looking for evidence, seeking to prove Minnie's guilt. While the men search the barn, bedroom and other areas for forensic proof, their wives explore the one area they ignore – Minnie's kitchen and her 'trifles.'

Susan Glaspell was an American playwright, novelist, journalist and actress. Born and raised in Iowa, she earned a degree from Drake University. After the murder trial, she quit her job as a reporter to focus on her creative writing. Her 1917 short story, A Jury of Her Peers, is also based on this murder trial. Her play Alison's House, based on the life of Emily Dickinson, earned her the 1931 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.