Interview: Director, Timothy Storey of THE MOUSETRAP at DreamWrights

Timothy Storey is both a magician and a juggler, as well as being an extremely experienced theatre artist, with Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap being his 65th overall production, his 7th as Director. He has been performing since he was 7 years old, earlier if you count the in-home radio shows that he and his sister put on years before that!

His favorite on-stage role was "Sam' in Lord of the Flies (Arena Theatre 2006), a student production at Wheaton College. The directing experience he looks back on most fondly is The Miracle Worker (DreamWrights 2010), because it was his full-length play directorial debut. He is a father of four wonderful children, and husband to the most patient wife in the world. You can find him at www.facebook.com/magicstorey, and contact to book magical entertainment for any event (rumor has it he'll even do funerals for the right price)!

BWW: Agatha Christie's "The Mousetrap" has been running continuously in London since 1952. It holds the record for "the longest running show, of any type, ever". In your opinion, what is its enduring appeal?

I think it's a classic murder-mystery with a little bit of a twist. Christie has written this show in such a superb way as to cast shadows of doubt on each and every character along the way. This writing allows the audience to keep guessing until "That exciting last chapter," as Mr. Paravicini calls it. I would be surprised if many, if any, guess the ending before it is revealed.

BWW: How has your work as a professional magician prepared you to direct a murder mystery?

One of the biggest concepts in all magic is misdirection, which is the art of being able to direct the audience's attention where you want it while you do something sneaky somewhere else. I think this concept plays a huge role in this play. Through the way the characters are portrayed (as well as the words that Christie has written), the cast is able to misdirect the audience's attention away from the real solution to the mystery. Funny that as a director I would pick "misdirection" to focus on.

BWW: People unfamiliar with Agatha Christie's plays might expect them to be "stuffy", "melodramatic", or even "boring". Yet, first time audience members are often pleasantly surprised to learn that there is a great deal of comedy in the script. How does the show use humor to break the tension?

Oh, there is comedy all throughout this play in the greatest ways. Without giving anything away, there is a moment in the play that is greatly heightened with conflict and tension, and the right character enters at just the right time doing just the right thing in a way that I believe will have the audience falling out of their seats with laughter. This play is actually probably the funniest play I've ever directed, and It's been fun trying to figure out where those moments of humor are and how to heighten them in a way to allow the audience to relax and let their guard down before we hit them hard at the end, only to end the play on what I believe to be one of the silliest (read: stupidest) lines every written in theatre history.

BWW: Are you good at correctly guessing the murderer in mystery stories? Do you have any suggestions for the "Sherlock-wannabes" in the audience?

I have not been a large consumer of mysteries. Although I enjoy them, I typically prefer something a little closer to real life. That being said, I would just say, "good luck" to those who think they have any chance of figuring this one out before the ending is revealed.

BWW: Due to circumstances beyond your control, you are now serving double duty, both as director and in the demanding role of "Sergeant Trotter", the play's detective. What has that experience been like?

Two weeks before opening night, one of my main actors had to drop out. Seeing as I didn't have any other males who had been with us through the rehearsal process, I had to step into that role. These last two weeks have been probably the most challenging weeks I've ever had as a theatre artist, but they have been so satisfying in many ways too. Learning a role so quickly has taught me, again, the value of relying on others and being willing to go with the flow.

I must give a very special thank you to Kevin Alvarnaz, Kirk Wisler, and Rodd Robertson who have all stepped in to support me with their directing eyes, so that I could focus on being on-stage and learning the role. I also need to give a huge shout-out to my cast and crew who have just surrounded me with support throughout these last two weeks. They have all been extremely encouraging, and I'm exciting to be able to share the world that we have created together. Now, if I can just learn these damn lines!

Dreamwrights Theater is located in the heart of the city of York, PA. The Mousetrap runs for 7 performances starting on August 11. Tickets and more information can be found at the Dreamwright's website http://dreamwrights.org/the-mousetrap/