Ahoy there! Are you ready to embark on MMP’s next adventure? Hope you’ve got your sea legs, because our latest mystery puts us on the high seas for a high-spirited caper. The 1930’s were a gilded age for international travel as socialites who managed to hold onto family fortunes circumvanigated the globe on luxury holidays. Recapture the glamor of transatlantic travel aboard the S.S. Americana, a luxurious ocean liner steaming across the Atlantic Ocean toward New York City. Step into the pages of an Agatha Christie-style whodunit reminiscent of classics such as Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile. Revel in the mistaken identities and madcap situations of a classic musical such as Anything Goes, On the Twentieth Century, or South Pacific. But before we sail into the sunset, we need actors to help us bring this funny and fizzy fictional felony to life.

AHOY!

Auditions

Friday and Saturday, June 5 and 6, 2026

4 to 6 p.m. at Red Rock Books (206 W. Ridgecrest Blvd.)

Ridgecrest, CA

Ahoy! is our second collaboration with the Lloyd E. Frost VFW Ship 4084 after we premiered Janis Kunz’s debut play, How to Solve a Murder, there in November 2023. Our script contains five roles, which could be expanded to even more based on actor interest at auditions. Taking our cue from the “ship” in the name, we chose to embrace the salt and spray of the open sea and took MMP to the waves for the first time. Classic musicals like Anything Goes, with its seabound glamor and its hilarious cacophony of personalities and situations shaped the story we wanted to tell. We wanted a mystery as bubbly and frothy as a glass of champagne. Spiced up with a few diamonds and dastardly deeds, naturally.

Actors need to be age 15 and older to audition. Those under 18 will need a parent/guardian signature on a permission slip AND a parent/guardian MUST attend any and all rehearsals their child attends. Actors will be paid for their work. Actors under 18 require a parent/guardian to travel with us.

The show performs August 28, 29, September 4, and 5, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. at the Lloyd E. Frost VFW Ship 4084 (117 N. Alvord St.).

During auditions, everyone will fill out an audition form which will ask for basics such as name, email, experience, availability, etc. These are just basics to give us an understanding on who the performer is as well as contact information. Then we pair up performers for cold readings of selected scenes from the original script by Daniel Stallings. Rehearsal schedule will be finalized after auditions based on actor availability. After auditions, casting emails will be sent out to everyone who auditioned for the show. The show will be directed by veteran MMP director, Daniel Stallings.

If you are unable to attend the posted audition dates, but are still interested in trying out, message us on Facebook or email us at mastermysteryproductions@hotmail.com to schedule an outside audition.

SYNOPSIS

Ahoy there! Set sail for a glamorous voyage aboard the S.S. Americana on a transatlantic voyage through a sea of danger, deception, and dizzying drinks. It’s an enchanted evening in 1934, and, inspired by the bouncy charm of Cole Porter musicals, Lana Lovelace, the immensely wealthy heiress of a lipstick fortune, has just got engaged to Joel Ryland, a shy London law clerk. Steaming toward New York City to meet Lana’s parents has the seasick Joel’s stomach in knots. But that’s not the only trouble. Lana thinks of her hobby of telling “embroidered” stories as a charming quirk to break up the monotony of being the idle rich. Others would call her a pathological liar. So, in a case of “Girl Cried Wolf,” when ACTUAL drama and intrigue happens aboard the ship—from disappearing bodies to jewels that vanish and reappear—no one is inclined to believe her. There’ll be mistaken identities, men in bad disguises and accents, plucky women who plunge into the underbelly of crime, bodies in steamer trunks, and so much more chaos. If no one will believe Lana, it will be up to her to prove the unprovable. Ahoy! blends the charm and humor of Anything Goes with the glamour and cleverness of an Agatha Christie whodunit. Bon voyage!

PRINICPAL CAST OF CHARACTERS

LANA LOVELACE — Heiress to the immense Lovelace lipstick fortune, Lana finds the life of the idle rich to be just too idle for her. She has taken up the hobby of “embroidery,” that is telling imaginative and fabricated stories about people and situations in her life. Why, her fiancé has been everything from an undercover German spy to a doctor on the brink of curing polio to a chimney sweep pulling himself up by his bootstraps. She calls this embroidery her charming quirk to spice up her life; Others would call her a pathological liar.

JOEL RYLAND — A humble, shy, nervous junior clerk at a London law firm with a dodgy stomach and a tendency to sweat when he’s nervous. He adores Lana, but he’s also intimidated by her and finds her habit of “embroidery” to be troubling. He’s never quite sure if she’s being honest with him. When her stories about him start landing him in hot water, he tries to give her a taste of her own medicine thanks to some mischievous advice from an actress onboard. Cue the fake mustaches and terrible accents. But his theatrical antics are hampered by his omnipresent seasickness.

LOLA LANGFORD — A famous actress traveling to New York to appear in a big Broadway show, she is taking the luxurious ocean liner for a few days of necessary R&R. Normally, that means sunning on deck and ignoring the world around her. Except when she gets sucked into the lives of Lana and Joel, steering their shenanigans as impishly as Puck. In her mind, it’s not manipulation; It’s just staging a little drama to liven up the journey. All the world’s a stage, you know.

THE HONORABLE GINEVRA LONGFELLOW — Rich society matron who has debuted more debutantes than she can count (or remember). But while her memory for details have grown fuzzy with time, her tongue for gossip is flawless. She may not recall if the debutante is a blond or a brunette, but she absolutely remembers how she ran off with a stable hand because she became pregnant with his child six weeks after her debut. Ginevra is a font of information…if you have the patience to sit for it. She guided Lana through her first social season as a young woman and is regarded as a kind of mentor and auntie.

ANTHONY ENGLISH — Lana’s father’s lawyer from the States who must continually reiterate that his surname is English and not “He’s Anthony, and he’s English.” His job usually involves writing large checks to placate anyone affected by Lana’s “embroidery.” He’s on the ship at the command of Lana’s father to keep a close eye on the Cape, a magnificent diamond necklace made exclusively of Cape Town gems, which Lana wears carelessly on the ship in front of hungry eyes. It’s worth millions…and Anthony’s skin if the necklace would ever disappear.

Ahoy! is bright, bubbly and as boisterous as a Broadway showtune. We’ll be dressed to the nines with the finest fake beards 1930’s money can buy! But before we get to the cocktails and shenanigans, we need amazing people like you to help us realize this dream. We welcome anyone and everyone who is interested to audition. No theatrical experience is necessary. We are always happy to take and develop new talent all the time.

If you have questions or concerns, email us at mastermysteryproductions@hotmail.com or message Master Mystery Productions on Facebook or Instagram. Don’t forget you can also message or email us to schedule an outside audition if you need one.

We will see you at auditions!

–Master Mystery Productions