Town Players of Newtown will be holding auditions for Prescription: Murder, A Columbo Mystery the second weekend of September. Meanwhile, submissions of proposals for plays to be produced at the Orchard Hill Road theater that serves as the home for the local theater company continue to be accepted.

Providing the inspiration for the TV series Columbo, the theatrical predecessor Prescription: Murder tells the story of a brilliant psychiatrist and his mistress, who hatch a plot to murder his neurotic, possessive wife. The execution of their plan and the creation of their perfect alibi depends on a bizarre impersonation.

Lieutenant Columbo enters the picture in his deceptively bumbling way to match wits with the criminal in a classic game of cat-and-mouse.

The play was written by William Link and Richard Levinson. The Town Players production will be directed by Michele Leigh.

Auditions are planned for Sunday and Monday, September 8-9, beginning at 7 pm each night. They will be conducted at The Little Theater, 18 Orchard Hill Road.

The play is set in May, 1960s, in New York City. The cast calls for four men and three women:

Dr Roy Flemming — a polished, urbane New York psychiatrist in his 40s; highly civilized, pragmatic, with a cold, functioning intelligence, he wears conservative, artfully tailored suits;

Lieutenant Columbo — a rumpled police official of indeterminate age; he seems to be bumbling and vague, with an overly apologetic, almost deferential manner, which masks an innate shrewdness and foxy knowledge of human nature;

Susan Hudson — Young and extremely attractive, with a hint of latent sensuality, she is not particularly complicated, but as the play progresses, she shows the burden of the increasing tension;

Miss Petrie — a pleasant, efficient woman in her 50s with a genuine liking for people;

Claire Flemming — a brittle, sardonic product of New York’s East Side, she is in her early 40s and shows the strain of a loveless marriage;

Dave Gordon — a smooth, boyish lawyer with his eye on a political future; and

Delivery Boy — a walk-on part.

Performances are planned for weekends, November 15-December 7.

Contact the director at storyteller99@yahoo.com for additional information.

Play Submissions

Each year, Town Players of Newtown reaches out to the theater community for those interested in directing a show.

The Little Theatre’s space is unique, as the closeness gives audiences the chance to feel the electricity of a live performance in addition to being a place where actors enjoy performing. Scant paces from the footlights is the back wall; this is a stage where no gesture is lost.

The stage is best suited for mystery, comedy, drama, farce, and seasonal productions; ideal cast size is 6-10 characters.

Play submissions for the 2020 season are being accepted through September 15. Applications are available through newtownplayers.org (click on Play Submissions).

All submissions will be reviewed, and the season will be announced at the holiday party in December.