Bethel will be shrouded in mystery with the debut of Agatha Christie’s play, “The Mousetrap,” on the night of Friday, Aug. 7, presented by Bethel Actors Guild (BAG) and running through the weekend at the Teen Center building.
It’s the directorial debut for BAG member Gabby Hiestand Salgado, who is also acting in the play set at the Monkswell Manor guest house in the English countryside.
“[It’s] just about 30 miles outside of London, and they just opened, and the guests are arriving. It's a snowy day, the roads are becoming hard to travel by, and people are starting to show up. Where it goes from there, you'll have to come and see,” Salgado said.
After last year’s successful, but very windy, run of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at the Pinky’s Park playground, Salgado said that it’s a treat to get out of the weather in the newly rebranded Teen Center building.
“We got a lot of new actors to come out for auditions this year, which has been really great to just see the BAG family growing and seeing how many great actors are in Bethel and who want to be in theater and trying something new,” Salgado said.
“The Mousetrap” is billed as the longest-running play in the world. It’s played more than 30,000 times in London’s West End, and only the COVID-19 pandemic was able to break a continuous performance streak that began in 1952.
On top of its incredible longevity, “The Mousetrap” has another distinction of never having been adapted for film.
“People are like, 'why isn't there a movie?'” said BAG President Taylor Finley.
Thanks to the way the rights are written, no filmmaking can happen as long as the play is still running in the West End.
Finley said that BAG has gathered serious momentum since the group’s reboot in 2024, following a years-long hiatus.
“We're in a space with all of our own equipment, and we've started partnering with [the Lower Kuskokwim School District]. We've started partnering with [the Southwest Alaska Arts Group]. So now we're able to really work collectively and bring theater into new spaces. So we're just, like, off to the races,” Finley said.
Those unable to make it out to “The Mousetrap” during its three-day run in Bethel shouldn’t expect to be filled in after the fact. According to tradition, audience members are sworn to secrecy regarding what is revealed in Monkswell Manor.
“The Mousetrap” opens tonight, Aug. 7, at 7 p.m. at the Teen Center (formerly the 4-H building), located at 519 Mission Drive. You can also catch the play Saturday, Aug. 8 at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 9 at 3 p.m.
Concessions are available and admission is free, with a suggested donation to support Bethel Actors Guild.
Editor's note: Gabby Hiestand Salgado is KYUK’s multimedia director.
