I knew I wanted to update this story to 1920 because I knew I had to put women characters in positions of authority and power. I don’t have one single process to start a project. I wanted to borrow what was best from both of these sources. I started by comparing the original story with the 1910 Conan-Doyle theatrical adaptation of his short story.
I was living and writing up in Maine at the time. Q: When you were commissioned to adapt The Speckled Band, where did you start? What’s your creative process when creating a new adaptation of something like the original Arthur Conan Doyle three-act play?Ī: Bernard Havard, the Producing Artistic Director of the Walnut, commissioned me to adapt a new version during the pandemic. Watson! Read below to find out where this story begins for Van Horn, how he decided to bring it to life in a new era, and more about this hilarious cast! For tickets (the show runs through March 27th), click here.
Not only has he taken this classic Sherlock Holmes tale and updated it to the 1920s, Van Horn is also directing the production AND playing the role of Holmes’ familiar sidekick, Dr. As a director, his credits include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Peter and the Starcatcher, Around the World in 80 Days, and The Glass Menagerie.
He’s no stranger to such a task, and has written for the stage many times before- like right here in Philadelphia for the Walnut’s Independence Studio on 3 and the WST for Kids Series, including yearly productions of A Christmas Carol. When the Walnut Street Theatre’s Producing Artistic Director Bernard Havard commissioned Bill Van Horn to create an adaption of The Speckled Band for this season, Van Horn was certainly up for the challenge. Feature photo of Ian Merrill Peakes and Bill Van Horn by Mark Garvin
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