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A dash of Christie, a pinch of Wodehouse, and contemporary mysterians too…

For the third straight year, the highly anticipated International Mystery Writers’ Festival descends upon Owensboro in a cloud of… mystery and suspense! This year will no doubt pack a surprising punch when four brand new Agatha Christie plays are premiered in the United States. Perhaps the most anticipated portion of the Festival occurs during the always exciting Angie Awards ceremony, where Sue Grafton will be awarded the coveted 2009 First Lady of Suspense award. Held at the RiverPark Center August 12^th – 16^th, you will have ample opportunity to experience the workshops, book signings, and fabulous performances that characterize this one of a kind Festival. 

Kicking off the festival on Wednesday, August 12 at 5 p.m., the Grand Opening Ceremony will preview what’s in store for you this year. Wasting no time, the first of three performances of the Live Radio Theatre’s presentation of Agatha Christie’s cleverly suspenseful drama, Butter in a Lordly Dish begins at 7 p.m., with the psychological thriller, Three Blind Mice showing immediately afterward. Thursday presents the first of three performances of the Live Radio Theatre’s presentation of Christie’s deceptively thrilling Personal Call at 4 p.m., followed immediately by the suspenseful and unusual The Yellow Iris. These four plays are among the best of the legendary English writer’s work, and you do not want to miss their debut; catch Butter in a Lordly Dish and Three Blind Mice on Friday at 5 p.m. and Saturday at 11 a.m. Personal Call and The Yellow Iris will show at 2 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday.

On Saturday at 7 p.m., a truly unique and exciting opportunity awaits fans of the unknown and ultimately resolved themes in great mystery writing. All four Christie plays will be preformed and recorded live and broadcasted on the new and original mystery radio series, New Mysteries Galore on National Public Radio affiliate, 88.3 FM WNIN of Evansville, IN! Hosted by Angela Lansbury, WNIN will broadcast several recordings of “newly discovered thrillers and detective dramas” every Saturday evening beginning at 7 p.m.

You will also have the opportunity to take part in several workshops and Master classes on a variety of topics. Workshop topics will include “Creating Characters from Those You Know”; “Definition, Types, and Motives of Serial Killer Characters”; and “Secrets of Breaking into the Publishing Business.” These Workshops will be lead by several extremely talented and well-known authors, including Nelda Coppas, Richard Reed, Lee Goldberg, Dorthy Taillon, Jay Zimmer, Brandt Dodson, Laura Benedict, Will Lavender, and Sue Crafton. You will no doubt gain useful and enlightening knowledge into the world of writing through these wonderful workshops.

These fabulous authors will also hold several book signings throughout the festival.

On Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights, you can enjoy an interesting feature of the festival - the Writers Reel event. Held at the BB&T Plaza, celebrity authors will discuss film or TV shows that were created from their material as you watch them on the big screen.

All of these fantastic events culminate into the final production and highlight of the festival – The “Angie” Awards ceremony & dinner! During the ceremony, several “Angies” will be awarded to the best works, best actors, best supporting actors, and Best vocal performance, to name a few. Snatching top honors this year is Kentucky native and acclaimed author, Sue Grafton, who will receive the prestigious “First Lady of Mystery” award. “Selecting Grafton was an easy choice,” says RiverPark Center President and CEO, Zev Buffman. “Sue Grafton represents everything we had in mind when this award was created. She’s dedicated to her craft, her devotion to her fans and her enthusiasm for the mystery genre makes her the perfect selection.” Previous recipients include the ceremony’s namesake, the legendary, Angela Lansbury, and best selling author, Mary Higgins Clark. There will be a dinner celebration in honor of Grafton, best known for her “Alphabet series,” on Saturday at 5 p.m. 

Some of you may notice that the Festival has been scaled back a bit from previous years. The IMWF hit a bit of a speed bump due to funding issues, but do not fear – this year will still uphold all the excitement and fabulous performances as in the past! “We decided to only focus on the ‘Live Radio Theatre” in this years festival,” says RPC Director of Sales and Marketing, Travis Estes. “Obtaining the exclusive rights from the Dame Agatha Christie estate was a huge honor. We wanted to make sure to do those works to the best of our abilities, and since it was the first time any of them have been produced in the US it was important to keep a complete focus on those works. We will be going back to the formal format of producing fully stages plays in 2010.”

All in all, the 2009 International Mystery Writers’ Festival promises to deliver on all accounts! Do not miss one of this years most prestigious and exciting festivals! For information on tickets prices and packages, and specific times and locations, visit www.newmysteries.org.