'The Game is Afoot'

Shenanigans meet Sherlock in Fort Peck Theatre's ongoing production of "Baskerville."

The farce is an adaption by Ken Ludwig of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's, "The Hound of the Baskervilles," the third of four crime novels in a series first published in 1901 and 1902 in The Strand Magazine. It happens mostly on Dartmoor in Devon in England's West Country.

The fast paced "who-dunnit" comedy, stars Treyson Sherk as the famous detective and Mathias Oliver as trusty sidekick Watson. The play also stars Shy Iverson as the comedic foil who emprises 14 roles.

"Ludwig took the story and adapted it into a farce, which is unexpected for a Sherlock Holmes mystery," said Director Heather Adams before the final stage rehearsal last Thursday. "We have five actors playing 40 roles. There are lots of costume changes and lots of set changes. We have 20 locations the set configures into. It is a show that celebrates being a show. So, we will see our stage hands, our dressers and our costume designer."

The crew has removed the so-called "fourth wall," meaning the audience can see behind the scenes, Adams said.

"We still have some theater magic though, so you won't anticipate everything. It is a little bit mystery, a little bit campy, a little bit clever, a little bit comedic and a little bit slapstick."

And, being of English origin, there is of course some dry British humor as well, Adams said.

BECOMING HOLMES

This is Sherk's first time portraying Holmes on stage, and a chance to polish his English accent, he said.

"I really like doing accents and dialects, and British is one I have been doing on my own time for years for fun. This is a great excuse to do it. I watch a lot of 'The Crown' so I just channel that."

To prepare for the role, Sherk steered clear of emulating other actors.

"I tried to stay way from watching other forms of a character, especially one so well known," he said. "I really like to copy and imitate things, and I don't want to watch Benedict Cumberbatch and then try to do Benedict Cumberbatch the whole time I am on stage. Obviously, I wouldn't be able to do that anyways, so I find what I can find within myself."

Instead, Sherk dove into the script, interpreting the character in his own way.

"It try to focus on what the script gives me, and there is a lot of how he moves - cat like - how he enters. He is always thinking, so as the character I am not that engaged with what is happening. I am figuring out all the details."

Ever intellectual and somewhat aloof in his constant analysis of goings on around him, much of Holmes' humor is derived from the chaos unfolding around him.

This is where Iverson shines.

"It sounded like a lot of fun," said Iverson, noting this is his first on stage role in the past seven years. "I have 14 parts and am a woman crying offstage, so I don't know if we count that or not."

The multiple characters call for various accents and 'lightning-quick-costume-changes' for Iverson, Calvin Pierce and Megan Wiltshire, each playing multiple other characters, totaling nearly 100.

"It is a lot of practice and repetition," Iverson said. "We have run the show a lot. All last week, we were in the show everyday. It becomes muscle memory, and you develop a pattern for how this show runs. The crew is the saving grace because there are so many costume changes. They have the order down more than I do. You come off and they see the costume they have waiting for you. You put it on and go back on."

The constant costume changes means the cast and crew must keep vigilant at all times, Adams said.

"A large part of our work is actually tracking props. Tracking costumes. Tracking set pieces. We have our stage manager, Paisley Wanamaker, who is largely responsible for tracking where the actors go on and off stage. Our costume maker, Allison Hinkle, then will say, 'OK. You need to change into this character on stage right.' It takes hours and hours and hours to get to this place so it look easy and seamless."

The cast and crew had about two weeks to prepare before the final dress rehearsal.

"It is crazy, but we have been running it a lot so at this point I know where most things are happening," Sherk said. "It is very interesting to be a permanent fixture as part of the set. I am always sitting there, even if I am not in the scene." He said hiding in plain site is "a happy accident."

The crew must also keep track of the props, since there are several changes of scenery. All this, plus there are two other productions sharing the stage, "The Spitfire Grill," and "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown."

"Fort Peck Summer Theatre has recently renovated the stage and has actually added some space in front of the grand curtain," Adams said. "Our show happens entirely in front of the grand curtain, but upstage of the grand curtain live the 'Charlie Brown' and the 'Spitfire' sets."

Two stairways on wheels - dubbed "Fred" and "Ginger" - serve different functions in all three shows.

"The initial challenge was for the set designers, Jay Michael Roberts and Shy Iverson, to collaborate and discover how to use these two basic set pieces to create three different looks for three different shows," Adams said. "They have done it and done a beautiful job."

A FUN AFFAIR

With all the behind the scenes production work, the intent of the show is to have fun, Iverson said. His favorite character is the mad "Stapleton."

"Stapleton, the guy with the butterfly net, is definitely the most fun. I have kind of been given free reign, so he does a lot of stuff. He is just crazy. I play him the most often so I get to do the most with him. He has developed a lot. He was very militant at one time, and now he becomes a little more goofy and silly. He was still quite crazy, but marched a lot. He has evolved. I have added lunges and a lot of squats. I have great partner with the butterfly, 'Mimi,' as well."

Sherk also has enjoyed the chance to fill out his character in his own way.

"It is definitely different every time," he said. "I have gotten to the point where I can play with the lines and am not just saying the same thing the same ways every time, like tossing the book [during the final rehearsal]. That wasn't supposed to happen. I was just supposed to put it on the desk, but forgot."

So, he improvised.

Sherk said the crew has embraced the comedic aspect of the play.

"I think it adds a fun element, even if Sherlock isn't your thing. We are also poking fun at it so you can enjoy it in that way. It is a lot of fun. Come see it. You will laugh, at some point. I guarantee it. This the only show where I feel comfortable saying that."

Since this is a Holmes adaptation, there is a villain to be discovered, Adams said.

"You have to figure out who the villain is. But, just in case you find yourself just enjoying the comedy along the way, we do sum it up for you in the end in case you missed."

Fort Peck Summer Theatre is located at 201 Missouri Avenue, in Fort Peck.

For show times, visit fortpecktheatre.org.