THE CASE-BOOK OF C. AUGUSTE DUPIN to Premiere at Theatre 40

WHAT: The Casebook of C. Auguste Dupin will make its world premiere at Theatre Forty, in the Mary Levin Cutler Theatre, 241 S. Moreno Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90212. This is on the campus of Beverly Hills High School. Ample free underground parking is available via a driveway at the intersection of Durant and Moreno Drives.

Adapted and directed by John Strysik, the production is based on the stories of Edgar Allan Poe. Produced for Theatre 40 by David Hunt Stafford. Performances will run September 17- October 18, 2026. Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

With Edgar Allan Poe's creation of the character of C. Auguste Dupin, the master of the macabre forever changed crime fiction. Dupin was the first modern detective. He was the archetype for literary sleuths Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot, solving seemingly unsolvable crimes with logic and astonishing deductions. This play brings together Poe's three spellbinding Dupin Mysteries: The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Mystery of Marie Roget and The Purloined Letter for an engrossing evening of murder, mayhem and meerschaum pipes.

John Strysik is the playwright/adaptor/director. He is known for his work in film and television, including the screenplay for the award-winning movie Stuck, directed by Stuart Gordon and starring Mena Suvari and Stephen Rea. Strysik was a director and writer on the tv series Tales From the Darkside and Monsters. He also directed the reboot of the ABC series Land of the Lost. He also co-authored the book Lurker in the Lobby: A Guide to the Cinema of H.P. Lovecraft. His previous plays include Power & Light, Villainy, Death with Benefits, and The Tragicall Historie of Doctor Dee.

The cast for the new play includes Todd Andrew Ball, Randall Craig, Patrick Grant, Michael Mullen and Caroline Quigley.