Murder Mysteries are run alongside a meal of some description. In an ideal situation there will be a three-course meal but with a few simple tweaks they can be run with a two course, buffet, single (fish and chips?) course. It is also possible to run them without a meal although providing something to eat makes it a much more sociable evening.
Murder Mysteries can be performed in just about any space available. They do not need a stage or set and usually a minimum number of props. Indeed Ding Dong has been performed in churches with the guests using a buffet and taking their meal back to the church pews! Whodunnit forms, a brief summary of the plot and character profiles should be provided on tables before the guests enter.
The cast will all get the complete script and the number of rehearsals required will be at the discretion of the director but would normally be no more than four as there will be only a few scripted lines to learn (a real boon!) I suggest the first rehearsal concentrate on the script paying particular attention to the plot. Subsequent rehearsals should concentrate on character building, forging relationships and back stories.
On production night cast members will welcome guests in character. The first thirty minutes or so characters circulate answering guest questions and feeding red herrings as stipulated in the script. Ideally this should be in a separate room (a bar?) from the dining room but if this is not possible then guests should be shown to their seats. It should be noted that the guilty party(s) need not tell the truth but all other members MUST tell the truth although they should not offer more than is asked for! Towards the end of this period a death will occur either in front of the guests out of site.
The cast remove the body from sight and inform the guests that the police have been called for. Enter (after a short interval) DI Sherbert Holmes who will tell all that he believes a murder has been committed and that one of the characters is the murderer. He calls the characters back out and they sit in a semi-circle arc behind him. He proceeds to question each one in front of guests.
It is essential that the characters not being questioned should listen and react appropriately to what is being said. For example in the Wedding Reception it is established early on that the bridegroom is having an affair with one of the bridesmaids. The bride and her family will be shocked to say the least and must act appropriately.
Following this the inspector invites guests to question the suspects (This is best done through the Inspector and should take up no more than ten minutes)
The inspector then takes the suspects off to a back room saying there will be a strip search, he will ask the guests to complete their Whodunnit forms at this point. After ten to fifteen minutes the inspector will return to collect the Whodunnit forms, take them away and give them to the victim, he will determine who has the most plausible answer and is therefore the winner.
The inspector will get the suspects back (looking dishevelled!) to their seats and will rule out the not guilty parties until the murderer is unmasked. He will be arrested (handcuffed if you want) and removed followed by the cast. The inspector will return to announce the winner then call out the cast for a bow.
If you have any question on how to run your murder please use the contact form and I will get back to you within 24 hours.
Have Fun!!