Dial 'M' For Murder | Dial M Experience

The Writer and Director Behind Dial 'M' for Murder

Written for the stage in 1952, Dial 'M' For Murder first hit the big screen in 1954, featuring riveting work by famed director Alfred Hitchcock.

For reading on Dial 'M' for Murder

For reading on Frederick Knott

Alfred Hitchcock Biography (4 minutes)

Britannica

Wikipedia

YouTube

Original Movie Poster

Frederick Knott

Alfred Hitchcock

Crime in Fiction & Media

Just like the Dial 'M' For Murder character Max Halliday, crime media has long captivated the minds of both creators and audiences. Whether in the form of a newspaper serial, a gripping novel, or a chilling podcast, this fascination inspires a deeper question: What exactly is it that enraptures us? Both sub-sections of the genre, crime fiction and true crime, bring audiences to the edge of their seat, wondering if justice will be served.

Is it the suspense of not knowing if the criminal will be caught? Is it a deeper, psychological need to protect ourselves from similar situations? Many have theorized and suspect a number of reasons, including a subliminal desire to keep ourselves safe and a chemical adrenaline rush in our brains.

Watch this video for a deeper look at the psychology behind true crime media consumption:

Literary Voices

Prior to Dial 'M' For Murder, crime fiction's popularity can also be traced back to several others' creative works. These authors include Dame Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who were both not only popular in the genre during their careers, but have also established themselves as key players in literary history.

For Further Reading on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

For Further Reading on Agatha Christie

Britannica

AgathaChristie.com

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Conan Doyle’s most famous consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, has been adapted to stage, screen, radio, and print. The interest surrounding the character helped to create the modern practice of fandom, or fan communities, and Holmes has had a profound and lasting impact on mystery writing and detective fiction.

Dame Agatha Christie

This “Queen of Crime” wrote during what is considered the “Golden Age of Detective Fiction,” and her long-running detective characters Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple are staples of the genre. Miss Marple appeared in novels and short stories from 1927-1976, and Hercule Poirot appeared in novels, plays, and short stories published between 1920 and 1975.

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Cast

Meet the Team

Jordan Coughtry as Tony Wendice – the suave and calculating husband.

Jenelle Chu as Margot Wendice – Tony’s beautiful and charming wife.

Jayson Heil as Max Halliday – a determined crime writer and Margot’s former lover.

David Weynand as Captain Lesgate – an old acquaintance of Tony

Eric Dean White as Inspector Hubbard – the sharp-witted detective

Ethan Stewart as Thompson- a young police sergeant.

Creative

Melissa Rain Anderson - Director

Shell Le - Assistant Director

Joanna Battles - Dialect Coach

Paul Steger - Fight Director

Will Bonfiglio & Rachel Tibbetts - Intimacy Coordinators

Margery & Peter Spack - Scenic Design

Ruby Kemph - Costume Designer

Dennis Bensie - Wig Designer

Minjoo Kim - Lighting Designer

Amanda Werre - Sound Designer

Katelyn Gillette - Assistant Sound Designer

Thomas White - Assistant Sound Designer

Photos & Media

MORE WAYS TO ENGAGE

In the Community

Join us at St. Louis's famous Hi-Pointe Theatre on Tuesday, September 24th at 7:00 PM for a special screening of Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film version of Dial 'M' For Murder with members of the cast & creative team from The Rep!

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Up Next on Stage

Join us this fall for our Steve Woolf Studio Series here at The Rep, kicking off with Jen Silverman's The Roommate !

October 23-November 17

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