Kill all the crickets.

That was one of several points of consensus the cast of "The Mousetrap" expressed during the talk-back session following the Wednesday evening, Sept. 24, performance of the play at the Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre.

The incessant nerve-twanging noise of the local insect population came up at a previous talk-back session, too, when the audience at the July 5 showing of "West Side Story" had an opportunity to chat with actors and a woman asked what impressed them most about Arrow Rock.

"The bugs," said one actor. "These bugs are intense."

But that was about the only criticism of their experience at the remote outpost of professional theater in western Saline County.

John Fletcher of Marshall, a member of the Lyceum's board of directors, asked the cast what the theater could do to improve the actors' stay in little Arrow Rock.

Jarrod Zimmerman, a regular on the Lyceum stage this summer, suggested that bringing Marshall and Columbia a little closer to Arrow Rock would make life better, but other than that, the cast was pleased with the experience and appreciated the chance to perform here.

Joneal Joplin, who performed in two shows this season and performed in one and directed one last year, said things were pretty good for actors in Arrow Rock.

"There's a good reason so many of us come back year after year," he said. "We like it here. We feel respected and take care of."

Quin Gresham, Lyceum artistic director and facilitator of the talk-back sessions, often observes that the Lyceum has a good reputation among thespians, He and Managing Dirctor Steve Bertani get many hundreds of resumes from actors hoping to land a part in one of the theater's shows.

Arriving in Arrow Rock for the first time often creates a bit of culture shock for professional actors doing their first show at the Lyceum, especially those who come from big cities on the east coast.

But most adapt quickly and some report that they come to love the quiet -- crickets aside -- and slower-paced life in the village.

The conversation at talk-back sessions, however, tends to focus more on the show that just ended or on acting methods or on actors' careers, and the sessions this summer were no exception.

At the session Wednesday, one woman asked Zimmerman how he came up with a physical tick that helped demonstrate a change in his character's state of mind.

Turns out, the inspiration was found in allergies.

"A good place to run lines is in the camp ground" in neighboring Arrow Rock State Historic Site, he said. "I have allergies and I was doing a lot of sniffling. And I thoug ht, 'Hmmm, that's interesting. That might be a good way" to show the character's shift.

"So thank you, ragweed," Gresham said.

Contact Eric Crump at marshalleditor@socket.net