Under a Rest: A musical murder mystery preview

Written by: Isabelle Hendrich, staff writer 

DAYTON, Tenn. — Bryan College Piano Ensemble is performing Under a Rest: A Musical Murder Mystery on April 9-10 at 7:30 p.m. in Rudd Auditorium. Tickets are free, but must be reserved at www.bryan.edu/tickets or at Bryan College’s box office in Rudd 305. 

Piano Ensemble is a one-credit hour class where students learn about collaborative music through performing duet, trio and quartet music.

The murder mystery is directed by Dr. Olivia Ellis, who is associate professor of music at Bryan College. Dr. Ellis co-wrote Under a Rest with a friend from graduate school, author and fellow musician Angela Marshall. 

Under a Rest is a murder musical mystery about a piano competition where the judge is murdered. Throughout the story, the contestants play piano duets, sing and try to discover which one of them is the murderer. The show is about 90 minutes in length. 

One of the actresses, Jenna McCready, plays Allie Gretto, a contestant whose duet partner is poisoned. McCready is a sophomore who is double majoring in Music and Business at Bryan College. In an interview for this article, McCready stated she really enjoys piano ensemble and would encourage anyone considering taking this class to do so. 

McCready, along with the other actors and actresses, were instructed not to reveal who the murderer is, and the major plot points of the play. 

Under a Rest was intended to be performed last spring, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it will be presented this year. The cast is the same except for three new members. Playing the part of the pianist-suspects are Laura Neff, Bobby Eaton, J. C. Donoghue, Jenna McCready, Grace Thompson, Abigail Ferrell and Audrey Heskitt, along with Issac Hendrix, a recent graduate of Bryan College. Other characters are portrayed by Sophia Jaeger, Thomas Land and Hunter Landreth. 

Below is a link to a preview of Under a Rest on the Bryan College’s Piano Ensemble’s Facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/BCpiano/videos/1331379767235008

Isabelle Hendrich is a communication major and history minor at Bryan College. Besides running, Hendrich likes to read and do crafts. She is a triplet whose siblings, Benjamin and Savannah, are also attending Bryan College.