Wright State Theatre opens 2025–26 season with comedic whodunit ‘The Game’s Afoot’

Wright State Theatre’s production of “The Game’s Afoot,” which runs from Sept. 26 to Oct. 5 in the Festival Playhouse, challenges students to embrace both comedic and mystery elements. (Photos by Erin Pence)

Wright State University Theatre will raise the curtain on its 2025–26 season with Ken Ludwig’s mystery-comedy “The Game’s Afoot,” running Sept. 26 to Oct. 5 in the Festival Playhouse of the Creative Arts Center.

Set in a lavish Connecticut mansion in 1936, the play follows Broadway star William Gillette, best known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, as he hosts a holiday party for fellow cast members. But when a guest is stabbed, the celebration takes a deadly turn. The result is a fast-moving blend of suspense, slapstick and clever wordplay.

Josh Aaron McCabe, assistant professor of acting and head of Wright State’s BFA Acting Program, said Ludwig’s plays resonate with audiences because they balance escapist fun with depth.

“On one hand, he creates characters with wonderful wit and wildly silly comedic circumstances,” McCabe said. “Yet he also writes with specificity that lives a bit deeper than just comic gags. The characters are believable while living in extraordinary circumstances.”

McCabe added that the play challenges Wright State acting students to embrace both the comedy and the mystery, offering them valuable experience in physical comedy, fight and weapons training and developing characters who feel both theatrical and real.

“This play is an excellent training playground for clever comedic storytelling,” he said. “We want to serve a full-course meal for the audience — along with the comedy, there is a mystery to be solved.”

The production features scenic design by student designer Callie Lippincott, costume design by guest costume designer George Sarofeen, lighting design by lighting design student Jennifer Dillard and sound design by resident sound designer James Dunlap.

On the stage, “The Game’s Afoot” features Joshua Ziegler as William Gillette/Sherlock, Lilly Buck as Martha Gillette, Jacob Sawtelle as Felix Geisel/Moriarty, Nia Buchannon as Madge Geisel/Marian, Ethan Cain as Simon Bright/Count Zerlinsky, Katie Baldwin as Aggie Wheeler/Alice, Sophia Stiles as Daria Chase and Madysen Ashley as Inspector Goring.

Performances:

• Sept. 26 and 27 and Oct. 3 and 4 at 8 p.m.
• Sept. 28 and Oct. 4 and 5 at 2 p.m.

Tickets:

• $25 for adults
• $23 for people 60 and older
• $15 for students, faculty and staff.

Purchase online at wrightliberalarts.universitytickets.com or at the Creative Arts Center box office weekdays from noon to 4 p.m.

Remaining 2025–26 theatre season schedule:

• “Concord Floral,” Oct. 24–Nov. 2, Herbst Studio Theatre
• “The Wedding Singer,” November 13–23, Festival Playhouse
• “Only in New York,” Feb. 13–22, 2026, Herbst Studio Theatre
• “The History Boys,” Feb. 20–March 1, 2026, Festival Playhouse
• “1776,” March 26–April 5, 2026, Festival Playhouse
• “Hay Fever,” Wright State and Human Race Theatre Special Collaboration, April 2026, Loft Theatre