Culver City will celebrate its 27th summer of free theatre in the park in 2026! Culver City Public Theatre will once again present two shows, the classic Agatha Christie whodunnit, Black Coffee and the world premiere of The Wizard’s Workshop. Both will run four weekends, July through August and are free to the public.
Culver City Public Theatre’s annual free outdoor productions have entertained audiences for many years at Carlson Park.
One of the most acclaimed and beloved writers of all time, Agatha Christie’s novels and plays have entertained readers and theatregoers for more than a century. Best known for “The Mousetrap,” the longest-running play of all time, (70 years and counting!) Christie’s mysteries are still being made into popular movies.
“Black Coffee” was Christie’s first original play and one of her first works to feature her iconic detective, Hercule Poirot. The twisty tale begins with the poisoning murder of physicist Sir Claude Amory, after his secret atomic bomb formula was stolen from his library. Both thrilling and hilarious, the story involves a classic whodunit with a locked-room mystery, red herrings, and a cast of suspicious houseguests, culminating in Poirot’s dramatic reveal of the killer and the formula’s location.
Culver City Public Theatre’s new production will feature the first female Hercule Poirot.
The show is directed by CCPT president Trace Oakley, whose credits with the company include The Front Page, The Enchanted Bookshop and Pride and Prejudice. CCPT favorite Danielle Fraser stars as Poirot, along with returning company members Phoenix Ever, Tamara Koltes, Steven Milner and Andrea Stradling. The cast also includes Maria Botha, D.W. Cerwonka, Matthew Clair, Hannah Jobman, Ambereen Khan, Luke Matheis and Rachel Speth.
“I pivoted from script to script…plays that have been on our short list, adaptations of both the known and obscure, before stumbling across ‘Black Coffee,’ which I had seen a wonderful production of years ago. I read it immediately and was struck by how clever and suspenseful it is, while also being very funny,” says Oakley.
There are eight performances, July 11 to August 2, on Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.
Culver City Public Theater
Photo – Black Coffee
