So as all the pieces come together, we can tell you this much: It. Is. Hilarious. Join us!!! Opens Friday December 8.

Kathleen Dalton joins AFD again, this time as Madge Geisel, partner to Watson/Felix/Tom Formicola, in "The Game's Afoot or, Holmes For The Holidays" -- opening next weekend! We're so happy to share her wit and comic instincts in this very funny play. Kathleen is thrilled to be back onstage at AFD after appearing in "A Class Act," "Side By Side By Sondheim," and "A Little Night Music." Kathleen Dalton and Melody Martin Tom Formicola, Kathleen, and Iain Bason Other recent credits include "Follies" and "Desk Set" with The Concord Players, "A… My Name is Alice" with The Wellesley Players, "Wings" and "Sunday In The Park With George" with Beatrice Herford's Vokes Theatre, "Curate's Shakespeare" and "Ruthless" with Quannapowitt Players Inc., "Dead Man's Cell Phone," "Boy Gets Girl," and "Perfect Wedding" with Acme Theater, and "City of Angels" (Alaura/Carla) with Theatre III.

It's hard not to notice the parallels between the plots of "An Inspector Calls" and the upcoming "The Game's Afoot or, Holmes For The Holidays" -- but, once you get beyond the plot, they could hardly be more different. "Game's Afoot" is just hilarious -- nonstop acerbic lines, slapstick comedy, and delight. And our inspector is miles from the somber man in "Inspector" -- she's a loopy interloper who's more like Columbo than Holmes... Christine Chilingerian plays Inspector Harriet Goring in her AFD debut. Christine is delighted to be making her first appearance at AFD after appearing as Senator Rutledge in "1776," "Iolanthe" and "Utopia," and serving as Stage Director for the MIT Gilbert and Sullivan Players’ recent production of "Patience." When she isn't on stage ferreting out crime, Christine spends most of her time working in regulatory compliance at Tufts Health Plan.

First, we love her because she gamely jumped in to replace an ill actor during our production of "Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike" -- and killed it, despite needing to hold the script on stage the whole time. Second, we love her because she's an expert costume designer who not only does an excellent job (see the gorgeous costumes in "An Inspector Calls"), but also keeps AFD's costume closet in order despite all odds. Finally, she's played all kinds of helpful roles within AFD, including serving on the play reading committee for this season. Now, she's about to make us all laugh uproariously as the mom Gillette in "The Game's Afoot" -- and she's deLIGHTful. Linda is an Honorary Member of AFD and joyfully returns to the stage after playing Jessica Crenshaw in "Curtains," Boo Levy in "The Last Night Of Ballyhoo," and Lady Riverdale in "Death By Chocolate." Recent credits include Dolly Levi in "The Matchmaker" and Bernice Roth in "Musical Comedy Murders of 1940" both with The Concord Players. Favorite all-time roles include Emily Gorski in "Greetings!" (Quannapowitt Players Inc.), Lenya Zubrisky in "Fools" (Quannapowitt Players Inc.), Rosemary Mortimore in "It Runs In The Family" (Quannapowitt Players Inc.), as well as Bunny in "The House of Blue Leaves" (Beatrice Herford's Vokes Theatre).

But NOT the actress who plays her. In "The Game's Afoot or, Holmes For The Holidays," Diana Doyle plays the dreadfully malicious and fiendishly clever Daria Chase. She's a snooping and ruthless reporter who shows up at the mansion uninvited -- and definitely unloved. She loves to throw a grenade in the middle of the room and wait for the boom. On the other hand, Diana is a lovely presence, and is a generous and funny actor. We're so happy to have her! Diana was most recently seen earlier this fall at Quannapowitt Players Inc. as Roz in "Moon Over Buffalo." She has performed with many local theatre groups including Savoyard Light Opera Company, The Concord Players, Theatre III, The Footlight Club, Woodland Theatre Company, TCAN Players, Walpole Footlighters and Turtle Lane Playhouse. Recent favorite roles include Bonnie in "Anything Goes" (DASH nomination), Irene Malloy in "The Matchmaker" (DASH nomination), Marian in "The Music Man," Diana in "Lend Me a Tenor," Eileen in "Nice Work If You Can Get It," Sarah Brown in "Guys and Dolls," and Amnesia in "Nonsense." Diana is well known in the local Catholic community as a cantor and soloist and through appearances on Boston Catholic TV’s annual telethon.

A familiar face on the AFD stage, Randall Lawrence-Hurt (Randy L-H) appears next as Simon Bright in "The Game's Afoot or, Holmes For The Holidays." He recently showed up in dramatically different guise in "Clybourne Park," "An Inspector Calls," and "The Importance of Being Earnest." "Game's Afoot" "Inspector Calls" "Inspector Calls" "Importance of Being Earnest" Randy's been doing community theatre since he was six, when he played the changeling child in a school performance of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." He firmly believes he has yet to top that performance. He struggles bravely on nonetheless, though, and since moving to Boston five years ago has appeared in several AFD productions. When not acting, he attends board game tournaments, drinks and brews craft beer, has snobby conversations about craft beer, and occasionally plays a pickup game of volleyball to justify all the craft beer.

As Melody Martin makes her debut with AFD as Aggie Wheeler in "The Game's Afoot or, Holmes For The Holidays," her costar Tom Formicola praises her "perky energy." We're so happy to welcome her grace and comic timing to our stage! Melody is delighted to be a part of such a wonderful cast after more than a year away from the stage. In that time she’s been honing her skills in the communications field for a nonprofit in Boston. Previous acting credits include The Happy Medium Theatre Company's "Brendan" (Ashling/ Daisy), Moonstruck Theater Company's "Farragut North" (Molly), Fresh Ink Theatre's "The Clytemnestriad" (Iphegenia/Helen), "Outlaw Jean" (Christian), and "Girls’ Sports" (Sam, The Footlight Club's "Mr. Marmalade" (Lucy), and "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead" (Ophelia) and "Pride & Prejudice" (Lydia) with Theatre@First.

There was a while there when we all had some uncomfortably suspicious feelings about Iain Bason... he was always just so... unctuous? untrustworthy? unlikable? From the puffed up patriarch in "An Inspector Calls" to the sneaky lothario in "Good People"-- he just wasn't very nice. Which, of course, is completely unlike the actual Iain Bason. A devoted dad, a tireless worker, a clever guy -- he's a pillar of our lil theater community. Next up, he'll be a little sneaky again, this time as the puffed up actor who earned fame and fortune playing Sherlock Holmes on Broadway -- and now is coping with some shenanigans in his own mansion on Christmas. Iain has appeared in many productions at AFD, including "An Inspector Calls" (Arthur Birling), "Good People" (Mike Dillon), "The Mai" (Robert), "The Memory of Water" (Frank), "Death of a Salesman" (Willy Loman), and "Arcadia" (Septimus). Roles at other theatres include Oberon in "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" with Quannapowitt Players Inc., Malcom in "Macbeth" with Beatrice Herford's Vokes Theatre, Orsino in "Twelfth Night" with Shakespeare Now! Theatre Company, Paul in "Moon Over Buffalo" with Winchester Players, and Jack Manningham in "Angel Street" with The Concord Players. Iain also designs lights (most recently for AFD's "Sunset Boulevard," "Moon Over Buffalo" at Quannapowitt Players Inc., and "The Exact Center of the Universe" at Burlington Players and sound ("A Chorus Line" and "Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike" both at AFD). He currently serves as technical director for AFD.

Honestly, it's not that often that the cast of a play is constantly laughing this hard while blocking a production. The play IS funny, for sure, but also this cast is hiLARious. You should give yourself a big fat holiday gift and come on down in December.

That moment when the stage goes from a stark and pedestrian work space to a magic other world? A lot of it is due to the artistry of lighting. In our last production of "Piazza," it was vital to capture the sun-bathed beauty of Florence, the musty grandeur of the duomo, the scary dark streets. The guy behind that show's lighting? Greg Mancusi-Ungaro. He joined the ranks behind the scenes last season, when he did the striking and atmospheric lighting for "An Inspector Calls." Since then, he's become a familiar face at AFD. Last month, Greg provided both the scenic and lighting designs for AFD's "The Light in the Piazza." He also provided lighting designs for "The Graduate." Next up: "The Game's Afoot or, Holmes For The Holidays." That show is glitz and glamor and a lot of fast footwork and shenanigans. The tie shop in "The Light in the Piazza" The family dynamic in "The Graduate" The family dynamics in "An Inspector Calls" His other recent local work includes "From Silence" (Marblehead Little Theatre) “A Picasso” and "Death of a Salesman" (Mugford Street Players), “Inferno - Fire at the Coconut Grove” (Core Theatre), and "Into the Woods" (Swampscott High). Greg is a committed theatre educator, he has worked and taught at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, served as a visiting artist at the Community College of Rhode Island, and has contributed his talents to school and children's theatre productions at Marblehead Little Theatre, Shore Country Day School, Swampscott High School, Marblehead Veterans Middle School and Marblehead High School.

Because the script for "Game's Afoot" is just that funny -- EVEN AFTER SEVERAL READINGS. Just so many funny lines. Join us for a real holiday treat. Linda Burtt Iain Bason

If you've ever dropped by AFD, you've likely encountered the affable and energetic Judy Weinberg. She has produced many of our productions, and she's played a variety of other roles, including props, set dressing, costuming, operating the light board, publicity, stage crew, and producing. Plus, her face graces the back of every program, as she's a major supporter of AFD. Now busy producing "The Game's Afoot or, Holmes For The Holidays," Judy says she's had the pleasure of working with many talented actors, directors, and designers over the dozen or so years she's been volunteering at AFD. She's currently a Board member (and at the same time, a very busy realtor in town). Yay, Judy!