THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND to Open at USM Theatre
Director Reba Askari brings Stoppard's critique of theatre reviewers to life with USM students at Russell Hall on the Gorham Campus.
The USM Department of Theatre will present Tom Stoppard's, The Real Inspector Hound
Feuding theatre critics Moon and Birdboot are swept into the whodunit they're reviewing in this hilarious spoof of Agatha Christie-esque melodrama. In the wild proceedings that follow, reality and make-believe blur, the body count rises, and no one is quite who they say they are. As mists rise around the isolated Muldoon Manor, Moon and Birdboot become ludicrously entertwined in the murderous rampage of an escaped madman.
The Real Inspector Hound was written by Stoppard when he was just 25 as a critique of the very reviewers who are play's main characters. This parody of the classic murder mystery invites audiences to question reality and ask “What if you entered the play? What if you answered that old-timey telephone during intermission and the phone call was actually for you?”
Director Reba Askari says that she has embraced the parody, “We are blurring fiction and reality by breaking the fourth wall into many walls, and then tearing all those walls down completely” At its core, she says, the play is a love letter to theatre that takes audiences on a wild ride through a fast-paced murder mystery. She says that bringing the show to life with USM Theatre students, “Has left me in complete awe of our incredible actors who are so willing to dive in and play.” So, sit back, embrace the absurdity, and good luck solving the mystery!
The Real Inspector Hound
By Tom Stoppard
Directed by Reba Askari
October 23-November 1, 2026
Russell Hall, USM Gorham Campus
- 10/23 at 7pm
- 10/24 at 7pm
- 10/25 at 2pm
- 10/28 at 10am
- 10/29 at 7pm (Pay What You Can)
- 10/30 at 7pm
- 11/1 at 2pm
Content Advisories: Sexual references, use of gunshot sound effects
Age appropriateness: 12 and up
Show length: 75 minutes with no intermission
Ticket Info
- General Admission: $18
- Senior 65+: $12
- USM Faculty/Staff/Alumni: $14
- USM Students & Non-USM Students: $8
- Group rate: $8/person - for schools and community groups
- Pay-What-You-Can: Thursday, October 29th, 7pm
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