Cloudcroft, NM

CLOUDCROFT LIGHT OPERA COMPANY

presents

February 2,3,4

LODGE MURDER MYSTERY

"I Don’t See Dead People"

"Why Is That Glass Moving"

by Arlan Ponder

CAST OF CHARACTERS
D. Light Shamalamadingdong played by Robert Wright	Famed movie writer and director; a brilliant, but tortured soul; hopes to win an Oscar with “The Old Man Down The Road.”	Babble “Ivy” Walker played by Jan Wafful	Grapevine, Texas resident and nationally known gossip columnist who prides herself on “getting” the story no one else can. Doesn’t believe the stories about The Lodge being haunted.
Ira Pettifogger, Esquire played by Alan Hale	Mr. Shamalamadingdong’s agent and attorney; strictly business; sleazy and obnoxious; arrived from New York either Friday morning or late Thursday night – not real sure because he was still on East Coast time – after receiving a call from Paula Heep.	Bugwine played by Ed Zendel	Contracted by a several ghosts of The Lodge to make the strange murders that happen each November and February stop, a “psycho-terrorist” but his obnoxious manner often brings people to want to … well he’s already dead.
Officer Shamus Koup played by Matt Flotte	Local police officer; enough said.	Cory Knerr played by Mike Mishkin	Professor of pathology at Cal State-Chico. Arrogant and shallow, see's himself superior to other professors.
Deputy Victor Rand played by Tim Sullivan	Undercover Otero County sheriff’s deputy investigating a series of mysterious murders taking place at The Lodge.	Will Tellallit played by Ken Kern	found him sprawled on the floor, bleeding and clutching his chest uttered his last breath and died while Night Watchman Buzz Eoff was over his body.
Elijah Pricis-Wright played by Joplin Sell	found dead in the tower. Believed to have hung herself, however, not all clues lead to the truth. Shamalamadingdong’s private pilot and Light’s trusted assistant. Would do almost anything for his boss.	Misty Ide played by Pat Mishkin	Found dead in November 1996 in room 498. Little is known of her death except she was at The Lodge enjoying the snow and cool clean air.
Amani Knitt played by Nicole Linn	CFO of MangleMar Publishing, producer of “The Old Man Down The Road”, real money hungry hog who doesn’t care about Shamalamadingdong or his success.	Lori Sterling played by Claire Flotte	The first person found dead during a Cloudcroft Light Opera Company function at The Lodge back in 1994. She was found strangled after reports of a struggle in her room. Visitors to The Lodge often mistake her antics for those of the infamous Rebecca.
Sam Jackson played by Arlan Ponder	Won the Best Actor in a Supporting Role Oscar for his role as Jesus Quintana in Shamalamadingdong’s “The Barrio.” Just happened to be at The Lodge at the same time as Light.	Dr. Priti Manek played by ????	Famed psychologist, known to have worked with “the stars” to overcome many of their phobias. Worked with Jackson and Shamalamadingdong during “Eight” – a psychological thriller.
Paula Heep played by ????		Found dead in the tower. Believed to have hung herself, however, not all clues lead to the truth.

"I Don’t See Dead People"

or

"Why Is That Glass Moving"

by Arlan Ponder

Famed movie writer and director D. Light Shamalamadingdong has come to The Lodge resort in Cloudcroft to write his next movie, “The Old Man Down The Road,” a thriller set in war-torn 1860s America . Known for his previous classics such as “Noises”, “The Barrio” and “Playing With Fire”, Light is a creative genius who enjoys twisting and turning audience goers until they’re not sure which way is up.

His script for this movie is to be turned into the folks at MangleMar Publishing just as soon as he can get it written. Already several months behind schedule, everyone is pressuring him for the ectype – especially the film’s executive producer, Amani Knitt, CFO of MangleMar Publishing.

Light has brought along his two trusted assistants, Paula Heep and Elijah Pricis-Wright, to assist him with loose ends on the script. However, one of them seems to have gone mad, while the other ended up dead.

Found by a night watchman, Noah Clew, around the witching hour in The Lodge’s infamous tower, Ms. Paula Heep appears to have committed suicide. However, Officer Shamus Koup believes the whole thing may have been an elaborately staged scene for Mr. Shamalamadingdong’s upcoming script.

With the mysterious murders that happen each year throughout the heavenly resort, some of the Ghosts-Of-Mysteries-Past want Light to shed a little … well … um … “light” on the subject, so they’ve hired an “expert” in psycho-terrorism to help them with their cause.

What he had hoped to keep a secret, relaxing visit has turned into a full blown media circus with the arrival of a national gossip columnist who prides herself on “getting” the story no one else is able.

Mr. Shamalamadingdong chose The Lodge because of its serenity and pristine environment, but little did he know what awaited him once he got ready to write. Could his latest addition to his stirring repertoire could be his danse macabre?