Second Stage Theatre at Stetson will opens its 120th season with The Real Inspector Hound by Tom Stoppard, which will run from Sept. 25-28.

In this clever and side-splitting comedy, two unsuspecting theatre critics find themselves pulled from the audience straight into the middle of a real-life whodunit — right on stage. As the mystery unfolds, secrets fly, tensions rise and the line between actors and characters starts to blur. With backstage scandals, literary egos and plenty of theatrical chaos, this brilliantly witty play turns the world of theatre upside down.

“The absurd action of The Real Inspector Hound’s satirical ‘whodunit’ as a play within a play is a mind-bending comedy,” said Ken McCoy, PhD, director and professor of Theatre Arts. “It includes love affairs, stage violence, mistaken identities and — like a Russian doll — performances within performances within performances. It is a multiverse of murders.” 

The cast of The Real Inspector Hound includes Molly Monahan as Moon, Miles Reynolds as Birdboot, Atlas O’Halloran-Haus as Mrs. Drudge, Raelan Chisolm as Simon, Mikayla Johns as Felicity, Samantha Mariji-Pedro as Cynthia, Paco Torres as Magnus, and Ella Oleck as Inspector Hound.

Performances will take place on Sept. 25-27 at 8 p.m. and Sept. 28 at 3 p.m., at Stetson’s Second Stage Theatre located inside the Museum of Art, 600 N. Woodland Blvd., adjacent to the DeLand campus.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for seniors. Stetson students, faculty and staff with a valid Stetson ID and non-Stetson students with a valid student ID are admitted free.

For more information or reservations, please call Stetson’s Second Stage Theatre’s box office at 386-822-8700.

(Please note: this production contains mature subject matter and mature language and may not be suitable for all ages. This production contains scenes involving gun use, sexual content, and depictions of death. These elements are presented within a darkly comedic and theatrical context but may be unsettling for some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised).