by T. James Belich
| Genre: | Murder mystery |
| Length: | 75 minutes |
| Total Cast: | 6 (3 women, 3 men) |
| Set: | One interior set (no set changes) |
| Royalties: | $75 per performance |
| Performance Rights: | Contact Big Dog Plays at info@bigdogplays.com |
Ace of Diamonds centers around the recent theft of a mysterious ruby called the Bloodstone. It connects six strangers who are brought together by Iago, the mastermind behind the theft. Although the six guests claim to be strangers to one another, past relationships (and past hatreds) are soon revealed. Their discussion of the theft takes a deadly turn when one of the six guests is murdered. The remaining five guests soon learn that Iago is, in fact, one of them. What they do not learn is one very important fact about themselves: All the guests present were involved in the Bloodstone's theft. They are all thieves. And now that Iago has the Bloodstone, his plan is to incite the thieves to murder each other so that nothing can be traced back to him. It all appears to work brilliantly as the thieves are murdered one by one, but with stakes this high, even Iago may not hold the Ace...
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Production History
Ace of Diamonds was first performed publicly by the Artistic Community Theatre in Pekin, Illinois on January 12-14 and January 18- 21, 2001. It was directed by Ed Henry with the following cast:
| JACK BARON | Bill Homel | |
| KENDRA WHITE | Janet Munson | |
| GUY WHITLEY | Brian Sutton | |
| CYNTHIA OPAL | Suzanne Wheeler | |
| BLAKE HOWARD | Grant Golden | |
| TARA REED | Lacey Rollo |
Ace of Diamonds was also performed on July 3rd, 1999 at the Federal Correctional Institute in Pekin, Illinois under the direction of Ed Henry with a cast of inmates.
Ace of Diamonds was also performed by the Aquinas College Thespians in Grand Rapids, Michigan on November 8th, 9th, and 10th, 2002. It was directed by Laura Eilar with the following cast:
| JACK BARON | Mike Cichon | |
| KENDRA WHITE | Lindsey Simon | |
| GUY WHITLEY | Justin Nardecchia | |
| CYNTHIA OPAL | Monique Hayes | |
| BLAKE HOWARD | Gabe Gagnon | |
| TARA REED | Laura Knack |
Ace of Diamonds was also performed by the University of South Carolina Sumter Drama Club in Sumter, South Carolina on April 16th, 2005. It was directed by Joanne Brown with the following cast:
| JACK BARON | Justin Riles | |
| KENDRA WHITE | Shaye McElveen | |
| GUY WHITLEY | Leigh Bogdany | |
| CYNTHIA OPAL | Kirsten Palmer | |
| BLAKE HOWARD | David Brown | |
| TARA REED | Tasheema McFadden |
Ace of Diamonds was also performed by La Martiniere College in Lucknow, India in September of 2005.
Ace of Diamonds was also performed by Calder High School in Mytholmroyd, Great Britain in March of 2006.
Ace of Diamonds was also performed by St. Anne's-Belfield School in Charlottesville, Virginia on May 5th and 6th, 2006. It was directed by Brittany Vogel with the following cast:
| JACK BARON | Sam Hampton | |
| KENDRA WHITE | Katie White | |
| GUY WHITLEY | Patrick Decker | |
| CYNTHIA OPAL | Kelly Falk | |
| BLAKE HOWARD | Patrick Chabot | |
| TARA REED | Liza Chabot |
Ace of Diamonds was also performed by the Academy Players in Watchfield, Great Britain in April of 2007. It was directed by Matthew Bell and Becki Scott.
Ace of Diamonds was also performed by the Fredericktowne Players in Frederick, Maryland in June of 2008. It was directed by Tim Seltzer with the following cast:
| JACK BARON | Tony DeRosa | |
| KENDRA WHITE | Sheila Cunningham | |
| GUY WHITLEY | Jim Webner | |
| CYNTHIA OPAL | Keirsten Harris | |
| BLAKE HOWARD | Mike Gilmore | |
| TARA REED | Karen Plummer |
Ace of Diamonds was also performed by Silver Spring Stage in Silver Spring, Maryland in August of 2008. It was directed by Tim Seltzer.