Mystery thriller captivates The Fountains for fun

MILLBROOK — Intrigued by the title, “A Mystery at The Fountains,” an audience gathered on Friday, Aug. 23, for a fun afternoon of radio theater created by residents of The Fountains of Millbrook, start to finish. From the writing of it, all the way to the curtain bow, Fountains residents had contributed their considerable talents to the production conceived and presented as a radio play, complete with old-time radio commercials.

The audience-pleasing result was a high-quality production that left no stone unturned in terms of an engaging plot, acting, and direction, not to mention sound effects and even an “Applause” sign. More than a capacity crowd of residents and guests enjoyed the plot that involved an intriguing question of what might have befallen one of their fellow residents whose lifeless body had been found on the second floor of the Community Building at The Fountains, an area principally used for storage.

Imagination and rumors conjured up theories, perfect fodder to drive a radio play.

Fountains resident Marge Wardrop got enthusiastically involved in the project that grew from a conversation among friends over coffee and shared the idea with Lorraine Hartin-Galardi. For the past 12 years Hartin-Galardi, with considerable experience in theater, has served as instructor of The Fountains’ writing group. Members developed character descriptions and plot ideas. Wardrop set about writing those ideas into a script, taking about a month to develop the two acts and nine scenes.

The project was in good hands as Wardrop and husband, Jim, had founded Spirit of the Airwaves Players (S.O.A.P.), a radio performance organization based in Reading, Pennsylvania, that toured the mid-Atlantic states for 20 years. Before the 13 cast members arrived on stage, she said, “I never had to cast it; people came forward. Their enthusiasm propelled it,” explaining the advantages of its format as a radio play.

There was no need for memorization of lines or extensive movement, and where helpful, scripts could feature larger type.
“When people are being creative, something wonderful happens,” said Hartin-Galardi as she introduced the production as being the work of the “Fountains Radio Workshop.”

To make things even more convivial for the event, a dirty martini reception was held in a nearby room, starting before the performance began and continuing after. Proceeds from the martinis were to benefit Watermark for Kids, a non-profit organization within the Watermark retirement community network. Martini proceeds were to assist with school supplies for youth at the Grace Smith House in Poughkeepsie, a program helping victims of domestic violence.