Local group stages Christie mystery

The Buchholz Players will seat the audience on stage for a run of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None beginning November 5. The production takes place in the Buchholz High School Auditorium at 5510 NW 27th Ave. in Gainesville. Tickets for Saturday matinees cost half price if purchased online, a discount applied to the two p.m. showtimes on November 7 and 14.

The play is the second title in the school’s 2026-2027 season, following Songs for a New World. The third scheduled production is Anastasia. The current run includes eight total performances across two weeks. The schedule consists of evening shows at 7 p.m. on November 5, 6, 12, and 13, and double billings at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on November 7 and 14.

The company presented a press release on October 29 to announce the upcoming dates. The release notes that the staging is an immersive experience where spectators sit among the cast. This arrangement limits the total number of available seats for every performance.

Student Director Charlotte Buckholz described the production as a detailed challenge due to the proximity of the actors to the audience. "Being so up-close and personal with the audience is a challenge, but it makes for a much more deliberately detailed show," Buckholz said. She noted that each of the ten characters is built to be unique according to the script.

Co-director Emma Zuvich focused on the thematic elements of the play. "What I love most about And Then There Were None is how it explores human nature under pressure," Zuvich said. She stated that the tension of characters unraveling and questioning trust drives the narrative forward.

The play runs two hours with a 15-minute intermission. It is a three-act classic in which ten strangers are killed in sequence on a remote island. The deaths correspond to the lines of the nursery rhyme "Ten Little Soldier Boys." The production is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.

Additional tickets and information for the full season are available at www.buchholzdrama.com/and-then-there-were-none. The venue is located in Gainesville, Florida. The next scheduled event is the opening night performance on November 5 at 7 p.m.