Mystery was afoot for the Bryant Players theatre troupe this December with their production of The Man in Seat 24. A whodunnit presented as a play-within-a-play, The Man in Seat 24, written by Martin R. Collin, tells the story of an embattled director, played by Danyelle Sydnor ’23, who is forced to investigate a murder when an audience member hijacks her show and is subsequently killed. 

The show, directed by Summer Wilmot ’25 with Assistant Directors Alexander Fox ’25 and Richard Abshire ’25, was attended by an audience of students, faculty, staff, alumni and members of the local community. That supportive culture, says Players president Jordan Walsh ’23, makes all of the troupe’s hard work worthwhile. “We would not be able to do what we love without the support of the Bryant community and beyond,” she notes.

As with all the Player’s shows, the cast and crew of The Man in Seat 24 was made up of students from a variety of class years and represented a wide range of majors. Some had years of experience with performing while others were just starting to explore their theatrical side. 

The Players perform three productions each year, allowing the students to stretch their talents and explore a variety of styles and genres. Past productions have ranged from Clue to Grease to About Her and the troupe is already preparing for their spring show, a musical production of Carrie based on horror author Stephen King’s classic novel.