The Mystery of Talbot Manor

The Mystery of Talbot Manor is a murder mystery play performed by the students from the BTEC Performing Arts Course (Acting) in the Theatre at St John Rigby College, Gathurst Road, Orrell on Tuesday, 24th March 2026

This Murder Mystery was penned by local playwright Gary Simpson. The narrative suggested that we were part of a coach trip which had apparently broken down and we find ourselves stranded at Talbot Manor in the depths of Dartmoor! There are some strange things happening and some strange folk involved!  Relatives of the Talbot Family had gathered at the Manor to witness the reading of Mason Talbot’s Will... Talbot has been missing for five long years. His surviving twin sister Marci, is expected to inherit the brooding edifice that is Talbot Manor, but the unexpected appearance of Mason’s eldest sister, Liberty, returning from exile in America, threatens to expose Mason’s true fate and the truth around the mysterious experiments performed in Marci’s laboratory! Then, to add further intrigue to the evening, we’re told that there’s a dead body, the body of our host Marci Talbot!  WHO DID IT, WHY and HOW? 

The Cast... a cast of eight took to the stage to bring us this ‘murder mystery’...
they were...
Hannah Chandler plays ‘Marci Talbot’ our host who gets murdered
Maya Ahmed Jones plays ‘Frau Schmidt’ – the Housekeeper at Talbot Manor
Lewis Gibson plays ‘Cringe’ – the Butler at Talbot Manor
Lexie Smaje plays ‘Ruby Cookson’ – a Maid at Talbot Manor
Leah Fairhurst plays ‘Liberty Talbot’ – long lost sister of Talbot’s back from America
Travis Bulpitt plays ‘Thaddeus Kent’ – an American???? – boyfriend of Liberty
Theo Sibley plays ‘Lawrence Wetherby’  - the ‘Family Solicitor’
Emily Tomlinson plays ‘Doctor Harriett Flinch – ‘passing tourist’ – ‘part time detective’#

So where to start.... I will admit I did find it difficult, at times, to focus on performance when I got so involved in finding ‘who did it’, plus because in this type of production there’s little time for an actor to develop a character or sell there selves and their role... but having said that I was really impressed with two characters who did that ever so well and they were Maya Ahmed Jones and Lewis Gibson who took on the roles of ‘Frau Schmidt’ the Housekeeper and ‘Cringe’ the Butler at Talbot Manor. Maya and Lewis possibly had a
slight advantage over the other cast members, simply because, before the performance actually started on stage, they could be found wandering through and making contact with the audience, which they both did very well.  I loved ‘Cringe’ ... the stooped posture, the slow gait, the deliberate movements, and the unsettling stillness created an instantly recognisable and memorable character. His commitment to staying in character, even when interacting with the audience before the show, added humour and tension. There was one moment in particular — when he silently appeared behind two unsuspecting audience members either during or just after the interval, they didn’t see him instantly, but when they did, their reactions were priceless. ... well done Lewis.  Maya did it her way creating this very serious, dominant, distant character. You were never really sure what her intentions were. Her expression very rarely changed, her speech, thoughtful, never rushed... I think many thought she may have been the murderer, NOT me... my question to her ‘Who was the father of your son’ ... should have highlighted who I thought the murderer was! Well, done you two, well done everyone... I’m not sure this was the easiest of situations /productions to shine in, but you all gave it your best, and that’s all we can ask or is it?

CONSTRUCTIVE ADVICE ... if I may be so bold as to offer a little guidance on aspects I believe are important to all actors, and which can help strengthen their performance and character development in the future. This isn’t new advice — I’ve shared this many times with youth groups and with experienced actors alike — even the best need the occasional nudge....
‘Spoken Word’ - never forget that your audience needs to hear every word you say and this was something that didn’t happen during your performance. There were occasions where speech was lost or the clarity wasn’t good, therefore the narrative got lost and we perhaps, in this instance, lost some vital clues! ‘Diction’ for the most part was good...but keep that volume up and don’t forget to project, to Row Z they need to hear every word!
‘Spoken Word’ - it’s wonderful when you know your lines – but just saying them without ‘light and shade’, ‘emotion/accentuation’ which is vital isn’t good, if the dialogue is to ‘come to life’ you really do need to add this to your dialogue.
‘Stage Whispers’ – if you feel the need to ‘whisper’ anything to a fellow actor on stage, perhaps some ‘loving words’ to your sweetheart ... your fellow actor will have heard them  many times during rehearsal, but who hasn’t heard them are those audience members on ‘Row Z’ ... they need to hear those amorous words... PROJECT, make sure they can hear what you’re saying!
‘Accents’ are an important component of theatrical performance. When employing an accent, it’s essential to maintain it consistently throughout your performance, if singing is included in your role, try and incorporate it into the vocal delivery, this can be challenging, but achieving it does enhance the performance. However, the use of an accent must never compromise the clarity of the dialogue. The audience must be able to understand the performer at all times.
‘Eye Contact’ – a ‘pet’ subject of mine!  Eye contact is ‘vital’! ‘The eyes are the window to the soul’ they say, it’s so ‘true’. When you look into someone’s eyes you should be able to see/tell what a person is thinking or what they are feeling... if you can’t see them or they are hidden under a hat or hair - you lose so much!  The ‘eye’s definitely have it’.

Not criticism, suggestions/information that could help YOUR next performance!

Staging/Tech...  no scenery, played to black cloths.  Lighting/Sound effects, were used to create ambiance... dripping water etc were used to create effects.  Lighting was simple, basic but created the right effect and used throughout!

Looking and listening to the audience reactions before, during and after the production, (audience sat at tables and provided with everything they needed to understand pre show and during show to what was going on and the sheets provided for questions and notes) was excellent.  I’m not really a lover of ‘Murder Mysteries’, but I must admit, I did get involved, did ask some questions and enjoyed myself, plus it was nice to be able to speak with and share thoughts with the cast of the following nights performance of a similar ‘Murder Mystery’ which furthered the story by five years hence!

Thanks for the invite, your welcome and hospitality throughout!

Stay Safe, Keep well ....
“Stronger Together”
Jim Briscoe,
NODA NW
District 6 Rep

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