The Park University fall theater production of the “The Art of Murder,” by Joe DiPietro, was performed recently despite a forced move to a new location after a fire in Alumni Hall last month.

The play was moved to the McCoy Meetin’ House which caused cast members and crew members to scramble to pull the production together. The play was held over the weekends of Oct. 25-26 and Nov. 1-3.

Michelle Travers, senior interior design major and theatre department work study student, was a stage manager for the production.

“Well….I thought even with the challenges and changes we faced, it was one of the best plays we put on since I came to work for the department,” she said.

The play is set in a rural countryside in Connecticut, focuses on Jack Brooks an accomplished and eccentric painter, who plots the murder of his flamboyant art dealer with help from his wife.  This comedic murder-mystery won the 2000 Edgar Award for Best Mystery Play.

The cast consisted of Brandis Outlaw playing Annie Brooks, Matt Shaw portraying Jack Brooks, Cortney Manning playing the Brooks’ Irish maid Kate and Marcelo Henriques portraying the art dealer, Vincent Cummings.

Sawyer Jones, senior liberal studies major, worked as backstage crew.

“The play had a plethora of twist and turns and tons of suspense,” she said.

Cortney Manning, who played the role of Kate, said she was most nervous about messing up her lines in the production.

“I could memorize and review as much as possible, but I still always felt like I would forget something important,” she said.

Most of the times, once something is complete, there are aspects that could have gone differently or better. For Manning, that wasn’t the case for this play.

“I don’t think that I would do anything differently,” she said. “I loved working with the cast and crew. It was a great experience, and I’d be happy to do it all again, without changing anything.”