The cast of “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd”: (Back row, left to right) Tom Reilly, Matt Hess, Mimi Hamilton, Wayne Goodman, director Matt Cardigan-Smith, Jessica Schild, and Isaac Arriaga; (front row) Christopher Fabro Smith, Alice Lee, Maya Rath, Patrick Atkinson and Nikolas Greene. Not pictured is Kelsey Bey.
The Orinda Starlight Village Players will begin their 43rd season with something special: The Bay Area premiere of Mark Shanahan’s adaptation of the classic Agatha Christie mystery, “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.”
“We are excited to present the Bay Area premiere of Mark Shanahan’s adaptation,” said award-winning theater artist Mark Cardigan-Smith. “But that is only part of the fun – 2026 is also the 100th anniversary of when the novel was originally published.”
The show, as always, will be presented at the Orinda Community Center Park Amphitheater, which will be transformed into a small English Village where gossip is the local currency.
The tiny village is rocked by scandal when the wealthiest man in town, Roger Ackroyd, is found dead after the apparent suicide of his fiancée. Local police are stumped. Fortunately a new resident, world famous detective Hercule Poirot, is on the case.
“This story is considered one of the best mysteries ever written and changed the mystery genre forever,” said Cardigan-Smith.
Not only is Cardigan-Smith directing this show, he is also doing the set design and costuming the production. He also directed and designed “Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express” for OrSVP’s 2025 season.
“This play is very different from last year’s design. We are no longer on a train. In fact we are in an entirely different decade,” said Cardigan-Smith. “The play takes place in an English village in 1926. The set will represent Roger Ackroyd’s mansion as well as Dr Sheppard’s house, with a few surprises along the way. The costumes will be stunning and fun as well.”
Cardigan-Smith is excited to bring this show to the OrSVP stage.
“I love bringing Agatha Christie plays and characters to life on stage,” he said. “I am also thrilled to have Patrick Atkinson returning to play Hercule Poirot again this season. He was so good last year in ‘Orient Express,’ and I know audiences are going to love to see him on stage again this year.”
In addition to Patrick Adkinson, the cast includes Wayne Goodman as Dr. James Sheppard, Mimi Hamilton as Caroline Sheppard, Matt Hess as Inspector Raglan, Kelsey Bye as Miss Russel, Maya Rath as Gertrude Ackroyd, Alice Lee as Flora Ackroyd, Christopher Fabro Smith as Major Hector Blunt and Tom Reilly as Roger Ackroyd. The cast also includes Jessica Schild, Nikolas Greene and Isaac Arriaga.
“This cast is really amazing and I can’t wait for everyone to see them in action,” said Cardigan-Smith. “I hope everyone can enjoy one of the greatest mysteries ever written with an incredible cast of local performers. It is going to be a great show and so much fun. Come out and help us solve ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’ in Orinda.”
This year OrSVP is launching new events at show performances. Join the cast and crew for a talkback after the June 14 matinee, where you can learn what goes into putting on a production at OrSVP and ask questions.
Additionally, there will be Agatha Christie trivia events before the June 13 and 27 shows.
“The Murder of Roger Ackroyd” opens June 5 at the Orinda Community Center Park Amphitheatre and runs through July 3 with performances Friday and Saturday nights at 8:30 p.m., two Sunday matinees June 14 and 28 at 4 p.m., and one Thursday performance July 2 at 8 p.m.
For more info, visit orsvp.org, email info@orsvp.org or call 925.528.9225.
