BLOG TOUR – Murder in the Theater

AdminOctober 24, 20161 Comment

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ABOUT THE BOOK

Murder in the Theater
(Cold Creek Book 4)
Series: Cold Creek
Paperback: 222 pages
Publisher: Self Published (August 13, 2016)
ISBN-13: 978-1535244268
E-Book – ASIN: B01J0050DW

Synopsis
The drama program has never been so dramatic.
It’d be the season to be jolly if only someone hadn’t set the stage for murder. When a student is arrested for the crime, Professor Sheridan Hendley is cast in the role of amateur sleuth. Tensions run high, friendships are strained, and the college administration is beginning to panic. As the plot thickens Sheridan is yet again drawn deeper into danger. Will she find the truth before the final curtain call?

GUEST POST BY THE AUTHOR

Community Theater

The setting for Murder in the Theater is a community theater in a neighboring small town, about to put on a production of A Christmas Carol for the holidays. As implied by the name, community theaters exist to provide theater by and for members of the community. The productions may be created by a community member, or in this case borrowed from professional theater.

Some only include community members and are relatively small; others, like the Altavista Community Theatre are led by a community member but enjoy a cooperative arrangement between community members and theater professionals. What better way for a private college to connect with surrounding communities and provide for performance opportunities for its students?

The concept of community theater has existed in the US since colonial times. As I read through the history of community theory, it was interesting to note that The Concord Players was founded by Louisa May Alcott 96 years ago! In case you’re interested, this season features the “danger, romance, and comic surprises” of Around the World in 80 Days (www.TheConcordPlayers.org). The Footlight Club is the oldest continuously producing community theater in the US and the first production for its 140^th season is Little Shop of Horrors (www.footlight.org).

The American Association of Community Theater’s mission is to further foster and encourage the highest standards in community theater as art. There are community theaters in many communities across the US. Community theater also can be found in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Europe, and Latin America. For more information, check out the AACT website where most of this information came from (www.aact.org).

Better yet, find a community theater or theater troupe near by and experience it for yoursel.I’ve been to performances by a local troupe, comprised primarily of children and youth, who perform musicals, sometimes ones from professional theater and sometimes ones written by other community members. Either way, it is a fun way to spend the evening – unless there’s a Murder in the Theater.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christa Nardi is and always has been an avid reader. Her favorite authors have shifted from Carolyn Keene and Earl Stanley Gardner to more contemporary mystery/crime authors over time, but mystery/crime along with romance and scifi/fantasy are her preferred choices for leisure reading. Christa also has been a long time writer from poetry and short stories to the Cold Creek series, Christa has joined many other reader/writers in writing one genre she enjoys reading – the cozy mystery. The series started with Murder at Cold Creek College; Murder in the Arboretum is the second in the series. Murder at the Grill is the third. Christa Nardi is a pen name for a real life professor/psychologist from the Northeast who is well published in nonfiction and technical venues.