Donovan Martin rehearsing as detective Hercule Poirot in Sock ’n’ Buskin’s upcoming production of Murder on the Orient Express. Photo: Lauren McLaughlin.
As an experienced student theatre actor, fourth-year Carleton University public affairs and policy management student Lindsey Keene sought to direct a story with well-developed and meaty characters. Murder on the Orient Express offered exactly what she was looking for.
“The script was just perfect,” Keene said. “Everyone has something they can dig into with their characters.”
Keene is directing Sock ’n’ Buskin Theatre Company’s upcoming production of Murder on the Orient Express, playing at the Kailash Mital Theatre from March 22 to 24. The show closes Sock ’n’ Buskin’s 80th season, following a November 2023 performance of Macbeth and a February run of The Outsiders.
Adapted by Ken Ludwig from Agatha Christie’s 1934 novel, Murder on the Orient Express follows detective Hercule Poirot attempting to solve a murder aboard a London-bound train.
Assistant stage manager and third-year cognitive science student Aahana Uppal said she thinks the story will make the audience laugh, cry, and “walk away questioning justice.”
Directing a 10-person cast, Keene said she appreciates the collaborative nature of the production.
“It might be a vision I started with, but it hasn’t been my show since the day I got my team,” she said. “It’s now our show, and it’s very much a labour of love.”
The cast and crew rehearsed three to four times a week since auditions were held in mid-January.
Second-year environmental studies student Donovan Martin is set to portray Hercule Poirot, a part he described as the biggest role he’s ever played. Martin said the cast’s dynamic was one of his favourite parts about working on the show.
“Having a cast that cares makes you want to care more,” he said. “When you get to build off of one another, it makes you feel more involved and more excited to participate.”
From left to right: Dawson Fleming as Colonel Arbuthnot, Corey Newman as Hector MacQueen, and Emily-Jean Pearson as Mary Debenham, rehearsing for Murder on the Orient Express. Photo: Lauren McLaughlin.
Other than memorizing his many lines — particularly a lengthy monologue near the end of the play — Martin said he “change[d] traits” about himself to portray Poirot.
One thing he changed was reducing his speed while running across the stage from a “young sprint” to an “elderly stride” to embody the aging detective.
“Over the course of the production I feel that I can get more in tune with the character,” he said.
Uppal said the entire cast “encapsulates the characters so well,” and added that she is looking forward to seeing the production come to fruition.
“I’m just excited to see the actors finally get to have their moment in front of an audience,” she said. “It’ll be great to see that energy and how we feed off of that.”
Martin added that he hopes the audience can take in one of his opening lines which he feels encapsulates the show: “The story you are about to witness is one of romance and tragedy, primal murder, and the urge for revenge.”
“I hope the audience members question their own morality and whether or not they agree with what they’ve seen,” he said.
Keene said she hopes the production evokes an unsettled feeling, and she is excited to see the script become a reality.
“Something has come from a script into a real fragment of a world. It’s really special to see.”
Keene added that she hopes the audience sees the importance of supporting student theatre.
“I hope when audiences see the show they also see the enormous heart, commitment, and passion,” she said. “I hope the audience can walk away understanding just how important these companies are for creating the next generation of artists.”
Sock ’n’ Buskin Theatre Company’s Murder on the Orient Express plays the Kailash Mital Theatre March 22 to 24. Tickets can be purchased here.
.gif)
