Lieutenant Columbo will be asking a few questions on stage in St. John’s starting this weekend.

Power Productions is producing Prescription: Murder, the play on which the classic character made famous by the late Peter Falk is based. But producing great theatre isn’t the only thing the company’s founder Paul Power is after.

A veteran of the theatre scene, Power, who uses leg braces and crutches, says there was a lack of representation for people identifying as living with disabilities or deaf, as well as problems with audience accessibility, and he wanted to help change that.

Power says he’s wanted to produce Diagnosis: Murder ever since he saw it in Calgary over ten years ago.

Actress Annette Powell says having such a diverse group leads to new and interesting creative decisions. She says they were able to come up with interesting bits of foreshadowing that only work because she’s using a wheelchair.

While some people might think her chair would limit what they can do, Powell says is actually opens up new ways to be creative.

Diagnosis: Murder begins Thursday at the Barbara Barrett Theatre in St. John’s. You can find more information here.