The Writers
Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and studied medicine at Edinburgh University, where he was inspired by the brilliant deductive skills of his mentor, Joseph Bell. While studying, working as a ship’s doctor, and operating his own practice, Doyle wrote a number of short stories, but he struggled to find a publisher until he created Holmes. From 1899 to 1902, he served as a physician in the Boer War. Beyond his detective fiction, he wrote about that war as well as about Spiritualism, a subject in which he was deeply interested (as is mentioned in The Game’s Afoot). He was knighted in 1902 and died in 1930. The first of many Sherlock Holmes societies was founded in 1934, and such organizations still debate the finer points of the detective’s work. Dozens of books and articles treat Holmes and his friend Dr. Watson like actual historical figures, filling in gaps and calculating dates from clues in the stories. More than 75 actors have portrayed Holmes in more than 200 films. Today’s audiences may choose from Robert Downey Jr.’s steampunk action movies or Benedict Cumberbatch’s contemporary television series. For more than a century, Sherlock Holmes has been one of the most widely known fictional characters ever created.
Photo by Walter Bennington (1914)
Photo by Evan Vucci (2022)
In 2020, Ludwig penned an essay entitled "Why Do Mysteries Grab Us?" It sheds light on why he loves them, how he writes them and why a note saying RELENTLESSLY ENTERTAINING sat on his desk while he was writing The Game's Afoot. Read it here.
Ken Ludwig has had six shows produced on Broadway and six in the West End, and he has won two Laurence Olivier Awards, three Tony Award nominations, and two Helen Hayes Awards. His work has been commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and has been performed in thirty countries in more than twenty languages. Broadway and West End shows include Crazy for You, Lend Me a Tenor, Moon over Buffalo, Twentieth Century, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and Treasure Island. Other major plays include Shakespeare in Hollywood, Leading Ladies, Be My Baby, The Beaux’ Stratagem (a completion of Thornton Wilder’s adaptation at the request of the Wilder estate), The Three Musketeers, The Fox on the Fairway, ’Twas the Night before Christmas, Midsummer/Jersey, and The Hound of the Baskervilles. His book, How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare, was published in 2012 by Crown. He studied music at Harvard with Leonard Bernstein and theatre history at Cambridge University in England.
Production History
The Game's Afoot was first presented by Cleveland Play House at the Allen Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio, opening on December 2, 2011, and directed by Aaron Posner. That year it won the "Edgar Award," given by the Mystery Writers of America, for Best Mystery Play.
Although it has not had a Broadway production like some of Ludwig's other scripts, the play has been performed hundreds of times across the country. Some notable productions include Asolo Rep (Florida) in 2013, Indiana Repertory Theatre in 2014, Drury Lane Theatre in Chicago in 2014, Virginia Repertory Theatre in 2018, and the Lyric Stage Company of Boston in 2023.
According to Concord Theatricals, 28 theatres in the United States are scheduled to produce the show between October 2025 and February 2026. Plus theatres in Canada and the United Kingdom!
Cleveland Playhouse
From left to right: Virginia Stage, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Lyric Stage Company of Boston
Response and Commentary
“The Game’s Afoot is Murderously Funny!”
- Broadway World Cleveland
“The play evolves like a mystery thriller, as one tantalizing clue leads to another….In 1936, at the height of the Great Depression, people flocked to the theater for a few hours of escapism from hard times. Today, in our current recession, here is an antidote and the ideal holiday present - the gift of laughter.”
- Cleveland Jewish News
“Ludwig demonstrates the theatrical equivalent of perfect pitch, both in this new work and in his past efforts.”
- Cleveland Scene
“From the intriguing opening mini play within a play to the surprise last scene a split second before final curtain, The Game’s Afoot gives you everything you love about great live theatre. Billed as a comedy thriller you will find yourself swept along for a wild and funny ride.”
- Cleveland Examiner
“a hilarious, quirky and thrilling alternative to your standard holiday entertainment. The Game’s Afoot is the perfect gift for the holidays...a fantastically fun night out at the theatre. It’s something we can be proud of as a city”
- Clue into Cleveland.com
“The Game’s Afoot will be performed by professional and community theaters across the country. Certainly this production is Broadway quality.”
- Talkin Broadway.com