How To Perform Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre
Home | Step by Step | Select the Venue | Select the Play | Casting | Rehearsals | Food
How to Rehearse A Murder Mystery Theatre
Everything that you know about conducting an effective rehearsal process for other productions absolutely applies to rehearsing a Murder Mystery theatre production. The interactive nature of these shows however suggests that you give special consideration to the following points:
Everything that happens must seen, heard, and understood. Seen: you must control the audience focus. Not an easy task with so much going on. Careful blocking even more carefully executed. The cause and effect sequence of the dramatic action must be crystal clear in a mystery. Heard; again strong voices. Understood; articulation, correct diction, enunciation, accents clarity and illuminate, not muddle and confuse.
Perimeter Blocking. As much as possible, keep your action and actors on the outer perimeter of the audience; as if you have drawn a circle around the outside of the tables. Try to keep your actors on that circle. Why? So that every audience member can always see every character. If your actors play the usual "face to face" scenes in the middle of tables, over half the audience will never see what is happening. Also, when actors get physically close to each other, they unconsciously pull back in volume. Imagine how effective those crucial argument scenes will play with the performers talking across the entire audience.
But won't the blocking seem static? Not at all. Even though the actors aren't moving very much, the audience is turning and straining to see the characters. They perceive a tremendous amount of movement; they should, they're the ones doing it. The audience is literally physically engaged in the play. Notice how many great advantages perimeter blocking gives your play; great visibility; minimizes movement while controling focus, encourages the audience to watch the characters not other audience members, encourages vocal projecting, and engages audience.
Not matter what the "style" of the play is.... the characters and their world must be founded in truth. Try to keep your actors from acting. The audience doesn't care about what they don't believe.
About the rehearsal schedule. Nothing productive, besides blocking, ever gets done at a rehearsal until the lines are cold memorized.
In a scripted Murder Mystery Theatre, like the Notechtheatre mysteries, all the audience interaction is planned. The lines in which the characters address the audience members are written into the script and are an integral part of the plot. Rehearse these moments. Have your production staff assume the audience parts and give responses so the actors get used to reacting to REAL physical and verbal actions. If the audience interaction is physical, be sure that the performers fully execute these moments as they would any other blocking in the show.
Double rehearse all discovery moments, clue moments, and entrances/exits. These are the important moments that lead the audience through the play. Be sure these moments are clear and well defined.
Even though you may be performing the show in different venues with different audience seating configuations, carefully block the show. Why? So the actors understand their character actions. Once they know their actions, their specific blocking can become flexible.
Triple rehearse all “physical blocking” ie chase sequences, fight sequences, and physical intimacy sequences. The cause/effect sequence of actions must remain the same even though the venues may change. Over rehearsing these moments cemetes the sequence in the actor's minds, so even when the physical environment changes, the sequence of dramatic action remains constant.
Action on the floor between tables will not be seen. You are blocking on one level. Can you find ways to use chairs; for dessert theatre, you can use risers.
Remember that in all comedies, audience members laugh at what the “actor” does when they know a specific actor AND at what the character does. Actors love getting laughs for what the actor does. Not a good thing. Rehearse the comedy that comes from what the characters do. Cut the comedy that comes from what the actor does.
Comedy/Mystery theatre is all about PACE. Too fast- audience cant’ follow it (participate in the cause/effect); too slow - they can’t connect the cause and effect of actions. Too long – they cease to care.
Group lines, when the entire cast speaks the same line or word, at critical points reinforce important clues and information. Common group lines are "WHO? or WHAT?" Group lines also involve the audience. Group lines make the audience feel like they said the line too.
The first part of line or first idea in a line pulls audience attention to the character. Sometimes it takes the audience time to "find" who said the line, particularly with perimeter blocking. Don't let your performers rush their lines. The line will be over before the audience can see who said it.
Long multi-idea lines are seldom effective. Audiences want action; not information. Long lines tend to be informational. Short lines, rapid fire interchanges during which character and and information are revealed tend to be high conflict and very active.
32 – 22- 12. These numbers represent the ideal performance time for the show. Remember, in most dinner theatre situations, the audience is thinking more about the food than the show; hungry audiences don’t laugh much. 32 minutes for the first act; 22 minutes for the second act; 12 minutes for the audience questions and resolution.
Rehearse everything! If the servers are slow, the audience perceives that the show is slow. Rehearse the servers!
Don’t allow your performers to respond to unscripted audience interjections that move the plot in new directions; they will give control of the show to audience and ultimately will encourage competition for attention among audience members. You have script. They don’t.
Live sound effects are very effective: gun shots; karaoke music, screams ect.
Make any ad-libs connected, real, and LOUD!
Rehearse the audience question and answer section; never criticize or belittle an audience member, even if the "character might." If you belittle the audience members, they will turn on you. Audiences don't laugh or enjoy themselves when they feel the performers threaten or embarrass them.