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StoneCastle Productions
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SAMPLE START OF STONECASTLE PRODUCTIONS, MURDER MYSTERY PLAY 1. DESECRATION OF A PLACE.
High on a cliff, in the Village of Selden Creek, overlooking the majestic Connecticut River as it weaves its way toward Long Island Sound, lays a spot the inhabitants called Plac SACRÉ (Sacred Place). Rick Selden looked up at the intimidating wall and the massive iron gate. He knew that behind that iron gate laid the answers to his reign as keeper of the Selden Creek Vineyards. Plac SACRÉ is only accessible through a land bridge that connects the island to the cliffs, and the high wall and the iron gate severs the place from the unknowns and the unwanted. One could see this place from the river as it weaves around the massive cliffs that hem it, but one could not know the topography or the purpose. Only Uncle Andre knows and only he has the keys to enter this sacred place that is, until today, July13th 2000, Rick's 43rd birthday. Today the keys belong to Rick.
Rick Selden, newly ordained Vineyard Master, came to the sacred place for the first time today. The spot was to be his, and only his, to govern and to enjoy. No others, including family or friends are permitted or welcomed. Uncle Andre was the keeper as long as Rick could remember and now it passed onto him. Andre told Rick to come here, not to encompass the beauty, or to lay his head to rest, but to cleanse his soul, as he would surely need, to justly administer the business of the family. Rick always knew that he was next in line to inherit the responsibility of the vineyards, but he also wondered why Uncle Andre didn't break tradition. He could have passed the governing onto Pierre, his son. For that matter, he also could have passed it on to one of Rick's brothers Jerome or John. For Uncle Andre never respected or liked Rick, but he continued the tradition and that was that. He only told Rick that when the next generation's oldest son came to the age of 43, Rick was to pass on to him the responsibility of running the vineyards along with the keys to this sacred place and remain silent about the place until his death. As all the eldest Selden sons before him, Rick vowed to carry on the tradition.
The Selden's long history with this island began when Raymond Selden and his brothers Ronald, Norman, Eugene, & William settled here around 1800 escaping the revolution in France. Wine growers that they were, they set out to search for a place to establish a vineyard. They found an island about 6 miles long and 1 mile wide that extended off the Connecticut coast by 2000 meters that had perfect soil to start their vineyards and they named the island Selden's Creek. They built a wooden bridge to the Mainland in order to get supplies from the Saybrook colony to their island haven. Generation after generation of Selden's cultivated the soil until a rich beautiful Pinot Noir grape was harvested. Today Selden Creek Vineyards Pinot Noir wines are known world wide having won medals of distinction from all European countries, that is, except Portugal.
Vincenzo Frattia and his brothers Ricardo and Victorio, from Portugal founded Chester, which lies on the main land just opposite Selden Creek, around 1840 as an Oyster fishing village. They mirror the Selden's in one way, and one way only; the oldest son runs the business. And today it is Eduardo Frattia who runs the business. Like Rick Selden, Eduardo just inherited the responsibility of the family business and like Rick, Eduardo, as well, has a sacred place that only he and no other Frattia or friend is allowed to go. Vineyards and oyster beds do not conflict until uncontrolled use of the Selden’s wine presses, destroy the oyster beds, AND THEN hell is to be paid. And Hell was paid the night of August 29th 1885 when war broke out between the Selden's and the Frattia's after the spill from the wine presses seeped into the river, and flowed on the tide to the sound, killing the majority of the oyster crop. The Frattia's responded by destroying the wine presses and a gun battle ensued. Three members of each family were killed including 1 woman, the Frattia Grandmother. The battle lasted until State Marshals from Hartford intervened. The memorial on the Chester/Selden Creek Bridge to the 1885 battle is still adorned with flowers by both Families although the original adversaries are long gone, the hatred continues. And this is just one of the things Rick has to contemplate as he puts the first key, in the first lock, of the iron gate, that leads into the Plac SACRÉ.
Will Rogers once said "There are two theories about arguing with a woman, and neither one works"
Cast in order of Appearance:
Rick Selden
Diana Frattia
Pierre Selden
William Selden
Grand Lady Gracia Selden
Linda Selden
Grandma Donna Frattia
Eduardo Frattia
Dano Frattia
The Marshal
