How To Perform Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre
Contact Us
Home | Step by Step | Select the Venue | Select the Play | Casting | Rehearsals | Food
Selecting the food for Murder Mystery Theatre
What food to serve and how to serve the food are paramount planning consideration. If you make ineffective choices regarding the food, no performance can redeem the evening. Here's some considerations that will help you effectively plan your menu and service.
Drunk people laugh more. If you can, serve beer and wine. Wasted drunk people, however want to do their own show instead of watching your show. If you serve, keep control of potential trouble makers.
Dinner has huge overhead; dinner is labor intensive and requires extensive “accessories." If you are charging $25 for the dinner portion of your ticket, be absolutely your patrons are getting every cent's worth of the $25 in the quality and service of that meal. We recommend that you go with the least expensive ticket as possible. Fine dining and fine theatre both require 100%. Work for a way to do both without excessive cost.
If you elect to do a full dinner, (as opposed to dessert theatre) the dinner needs elegance; no paper plates, no paper napkins, no tacky paper table clothes. Tables need centerpieces; table setting require multiple forks, spoons, and glasses. Theatre with a full dinner needs be classy. People will pay for it--- if you deliver what they pay for.
What about using a buffet line? Unless your audience is strictly family and friends do not, I repeat, do not use a buffet line. Serving 80 patrons through a buffet line can take as long as 45 minutes, plus they need time to eat it. The pace of your show has died. Everyone has forgotten the essential clues. We serve plated hot meals to 80 people in less than six minutes. Everyone gets their food at the same time. Every one eats at the same time. After an eighteen minute interval, we have cleared the entree dishes and second act is under way. Plus, you can't control food portions with a buffet line. And over a third of your patrons will want to go through the line a second time. You aren't the Golden Corral. You're doing theatre. Don't do a buffet line.
Dinner – Choice of only three entrees, (Chicken, beef, veggie) two sides and ONE dessert. Note: one dessert! Otherwise they will fight about which dessert they want. (Salads, breads, soups, beverages are all extras and need to be worked out with the cater.) More than three entrees greatly increases food costs and preparation time.
Dinner – Audience members must make dinner selections when they purchase the ticket. NO GENERAL ADMISSION! THEY PICK WHERE THEY SIT WHEN THEY BUY THE TICKET. Keep printed sales list for the seating. People lie and forge tickets, particularly where food is involved.
You will not be able to sell tickets at the door. All ticket sales end when you submit your food order to the cater.
Dinner - Who’s doing the accessories? Table cloths, napkins, silver ware, plates, glasses, salad dressing, coffee creamer, sugar, salt, and pepper, butter? These little things add up to a considerable expense. Be sure to clarify with the cater who is providing what!
Dinner – who sets the tables and clears? Is this something you and your voluteers do? Or something that the cater does? This is a very time intensive activity. Be sure to account for this activity in your planning.
Serving sequence: Salad then first act. Entrée then second act. Dessert then third act.
House Manager and Servers – One server per six audience members. This provides the staffing to give efficient and fast service to the patrons.
How much should you decorate the room? Decorations are noticed once and soon forgotten. Spend your time with your performers. “Characters” decorate a space far more effectively.
Dessert Theatre or Dinner Theatre? Dinner food cost is $15 to $30 plus accessories. Dessert theatre- total food AND accessory cost can be as low as $1.75. Total cost: Dinner $25-40; Dessert $12 - $17.
Never scrap plates in front of patrons.
Time is critical! Don’t let the meal interval last forever. SERVE FAST! We serve 80 fully plated hot dinners in less than six minutes. 80 desserts in less than 4 minutes.
The Performance includes everything that happens! The performance energy includes every part of what the audience sees!
Try not to make your performers your servers. Acting is a full time job. Serving is a full time job.
Find the caterer, set the menu, get a price, then set ticket price. Stay in constant contact with venue and caterer.