Members of the cast and crew of OrSVP’s “Murder on the Orient Express” take a break from rehearsal. (Back row, L-R): Shailesh Sivanantham, Wayne Goodman, Justin Parish, Matt Hess, Patricia Wright, Kelsey Bye; (front row, L-R): Mimi Hamilton, stage manager Amanda Beaton, Patrick Atkinson, Ruthie Berk, and director Matt Cardigan-Smith. Not pictured are Alice Lee and Ken Sollazzo.
You may have noticed the intimate amphitheater in Orinda Community Park when walking to the toddler playground or enjoying a concert. It practically invites people to come and sit on its stone steps and enjoy the sunshine and peaceful atmosphere. At night, however, the space radiates energy and laughter as Orinda Starlight Village Players (OrSVP) take audiences on fanciful journeys to other worlds and time periods.
Since its founding by Orinda resident Charlotte Meyers in 1982, the troupe has presented over 115 summer productions.
This season, Administrative Director Jill Gelster promises an exquisite set for the first show, “Murder on the Orient Express,” thanks to Matt Cardigan-Smith, who joined the troupe in 2024.
“Matt is so organized and can always be counted on to provide fabulous results whether he’s designing a set or building costumes,” Gelster said.
This season Cardigan-Smith will costume all three shows as well as design the set and direct Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express” (June 6-July 5), adapted by Ken Ludwig.
The other shows in the season include Jean Anouilh’s “Ring Round the Moon” (July 25-Aug. 16), adapted by Christopher Fry and directed by Gelster, and Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre” (Sept. 5-27), adapted and directed by Malcolm Cowler.
“Each show is set in a different time period – each of them unique,” said Cardigan-Smith. “’Orient Express’ features costumes from 1934 with all the glamour that period’s first-class passengers would have worn, while ‘Ring Round the Moon’ is set in the 1890s and includes beautiful ball gowns and lots of jewels. ‘Jane Eyre’ features attire from the 1820s-1860s.”
He added that the set for “Orient Express” will be quite grand, “unlike anything our audiences have seen in the past. We’re really pulling out all the stops, and I have an incredible cast of actors that will blow everyone away.”
“Murder on the Orient Express” begins at a restaurant on the train platform with the rest of the action taking place on the train. “The train is its own character in a way,” said Cardigan-Smith. “First you see the outside of the train, and then it opens, and you see the inside of each car.”
A jack of all trades, Cardigan-Smith will also perform in the second show, is busy writing grants and has modernized the company’s website (so that it now takes credit card orders, among other improvements).
He learned about community theater from his aunt, a high school teacher who founded several theaters. “Watching her design sets, direct, make costumes and do lighting got me hooked on live theater. Basically, I’ve turned into her,” Cardigan-Smith said.
“I fell in love with the small-town atmosphere of Orinda and feel right at home with Starlight and all the wonderful people who volunteer,” said Cardigan-Smith. “By applying for grants I hope to increase our budget for shows. Being creative people, we always find a way to make do, but it would be lovely to have a bit more for sets and costumes. We’re using as much as possible from our stock of costumes and sets and holding our breath that we’ll find additional funding to make it all work.”
Gelster is grateful for the community’s support, including a Walnut Creek couple who are sponsoring this season’s second show, as well as organizations like Orinda Community Foundation, which pays for OrSVP’s rent and insurance plus part of the royalties for each show.
“We had one of our largest groups of actors come out to audition for the season, and I know the costumes will be stunning because stunning is what Matt does,” said Gelster.
The fact that the train, as well as sets for the other two shows are outside, makes it even more difficult.
“It takes a lot more planning. It’s not like you have a roof or fly space where you can keep scenery and then drop it down at the right time,” said Cardigan-Smith. “We also must keep it safe during the day. So, we lock away as much as we can and have cameras all around the space to catch anyone trying to vandalize.”
Technical Director David Dierks, who’s in charge of set construction, added: “We put things together in a different way because it needs to withstand wind and rain for quite some time. The cast members come out and help build the sets, which builds community and a sense of ownership for the actors.”
Gelster and Cardigan-Smith agree, noting how it gives the actors a chance to find out more about each other, something often not possible during rehearsals.
“Starlight reminds me of the theaters I grew up with following my aunt around. It’s so nice to feel like a part of a theatrical community again,” said Cardigan-Smith.
For season tickets or individual tickets to any of the shows, go to orsvp.org.
