Done To Death
In Fred Carmichael's Done to Death, five washed up mystery writers—Whitney and Jessica Olive, Mildred Z. Maxwell, Brad Benedict, and Rodney Duckton—are enticed to travel to a Caribbean island manor to write a script for television mystery series. The 1970 play moves back and forth between the island and a TV studio in the era. After a real murder takes place on the island, the plot crisscrosses time and frequently breaks the fourth wall as the writers speculate "whodunnit" by exaggeratingly acting out mystery cliches using the manor's staff and visitors.
Written by: Fred Carmichael
Directed by: Shari Setchell
Stage Managed by: Aurelia Graves
Elements
- Hidden bookshelf door
- Training a new stage manager
- Real food
Rehearsal Process
The rehearsal process for
Done to Death was rushed due to scheduling and another production; we started 2 weeks later than the spring production normally does.
Done to
Death had the most committed cast I have ever worked with; 3 of 6 leads were off-book a week before they had to be. It was also my third time working with this director, and she wanted to add pre-show ads inspired by the 1970s to immerse and prime the audience for the time period. I oversaw the 8 ensemble members as they worked on their ads: from idea inception to their presentation on stage.
Imagination Lights
Done to Death is a show in which the main characters solve a murder mystery. The characters are inspired by murder mystery writers like Agatha Christie, Ian Fleming, Raymond Chandler, and Nora and Nick Charles. I wanted to visually differentiate each character's perspective. I designed the lighting and assigned each character a color for their time-skips and monologues: purple for the Olives, blue for Millred Z. Maxwell, mint for Brad Benedict, and dark green for Rodney Duckton. Leaning into 70s television, the specific shade of each color was inspired by the iconic 70s palette. I introduced the colors early in the show after realizing that my ASM was confused in rehearsals about who was storytelling during time-skips; if they were confused, I realized the audience may be too.
Set Design
I was so excited to stage manage a murder mystery for multiple reasons, but the biggest one was the bookcase door. This was on my production bucket list! The director originally didn't like my idea, but after I got the set builder on board, the director could see the vision and agreed. The door is in the background of the picture on the right. It blended in seamlessly and was fairly simple to construct: a hinged door, a caster, and foam books. I still remember the audience gasp and a whispered "That's so cool!" in the audience when it first opened and a performer entered the stage through the door. We didn't tell the cast until the set was up; they thought we were going to have a basic swinging kitchen door like an earlier show (Arsenic and Old Lace). The bookcase door was a fun addition to the show, and it made sense; the play was set in an old manor that would have had secret passages for servants to not be seen.
Overall Thoughts
Done to Death was one of the smallest and strongest casts I have ever had the pleasure of working with. In turn, the director trusted me and welcomed my creative vision for the show. I was also able to sneak my favorite animal into the show as a prop: a chipmunk (on the left ).
