MURDER AT ACKERTON MANOR to Make American Premiere at Gretna Theatre
Directed by Alex Keiper, the Agatha Christie-inspired comedy features three actors at the Fulton Theatre.
Gretna Theatre, in collaboration with the Fulton Theatre, will present the American Premiere of Murder at Ackerton Manor, running July 9 - 12, 2026.
Part loving tribute and part comedic send-up of the classic Agatha Christie whodunit, Murder at Ackerton Manor invites audiences to a sprawling English country estate where a murder has occurred and everyone is a suspect. Packed with twists, turns, red herrings, and theatrical sleight of hand, the production transforms the familiar story into a laugh-out-loud romp.
Directed by Alex Keiper, the production features just three actors performing a dizzying array of characters as they race to uncover the culprit before time runs out.
“I love this comedic homage to the best mystery writer of all time, Agatha Christie,” says Keiper. “In times of uncertainty, Christie mysteries bring us a formula and a solution we can understand. Murder at Ackerton Manor also lets us laugh at her expected and not so expected twists. We found three phenomenal actors who perform a virtuosic comedic tour-de-force as they jump from role to role, desperately trying to discover who-dun-it?! Can you solve it before they do??”
Originally developed and produced across Canada, Murder at Ackerton Manor makes its American debut at Gretna Theatre, continuing the theatre's commitment to introducing audiences to exciting new works from around the world.
Leading the cast is three-time Barrymore Award winner Charlotte Northeast, making her Gretna Theatre debut. Northeast is well known to Philadelphia audiences for her work with Philadelphia Artists' Collective, Act II Playhouse, Theatre Exile, Passage Theatre, Azuka, Theatre Horizon, Delaware Theatre Company, and Walnut Street Theatre. She is also the co-creator and performer of The Complete Works of Jane Austen, Abridged and Jane Eyre.
Returning to Gretna Theatre is audience favorite Andrew Kindig. Previous Gretna credits include Every Brilliant Thing, She Loves Me, Around the World in 80 Days, Murder for Two, and I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. Regional audiences may also recognize him from roles including Hercule Poirot in Murder on the Orient Express, Leo Bloom in The Producers, and Giles Ralston in The Mousetrap.
Making his Gretna Theatre debut, Mark Tinkey brings an extensive comedy and musical theatre background to the production. His credits include Beautiful, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Shear Madness, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Forbidden Broadway, and A Musical Christmas Carol.
Together, the trio takes on a whirlwind of suspects, detectives, aristocrats, servants, and unexpected characters, creating a theatrical experience that is as impressive as it is hilarious.
Performance Schedule:
Thursday, July 9 at 7:30 PM
Friday, July 10 at 7:30 PM
Saturday, July 11 at 7:30 PM
Thursday, July 9 at 2:00 PM
Sunday, July 12 at 2:00 PM
The production will then run October 16 - November 8 at the Fulton Theatre in Lancaster.
Tickets and additional information are available through www.gretnatheatre.org or by calling the box office at 717-964-3627.
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