How To Perform Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre
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How to Select Murder Mystery Scripts
A very wise director once told me, "Directing is simple. Pick a show you can actually do with the stuff you have." If you only have three male actors and very inexperienced dancers, then scrap your plans for West Side Story and pick something else. Stuff, of course, means resources; performers, budget, technicians, venue, audiences. If you don't have the specific resources to produce a specific play, then the production will always feel half finished. Instead of congratulating yourself for what you accomplished, you will be reprimanding yourself for what you could have done.
How to select a play? First take a realistic honest look at "what you got;" NOT "what you think you're gonna get." Then think about the following considerations.
Remember the unique appeal of Murder Mystery Theatre. Pick a play in which the audience lives inside the special world; a play that uses the audience as the major scenery in the special world; a play that integrates the audience into the dramatic action.
Some Murder Mystery Theatre plays are ridiculously stupid with over the top goofy characters. Stupid is good; goofy can be good. Ridiculous and implausible are death sentences. Stupid and goofy are interesting for a little while, but tire quicky and become painfully redundant. Remember what audiences do at mystery theatre performances; they try to solve a murder. "What happens and who it happens to" must be, on some stylistic level, believable enough to involve the audience; must be truthful enough to invite the audience into the crime fighting process. Characters must be “real” enough for the audience to want to participate in their actions. In a silly cartoon, do you even really believe someone died? Much less care enough to help find out "whodunnit?"
Make the place work for you. Can the action of the show happen believably within this place? Can this venue become the special world? Notechtheatre mysteries all begin with a reason why the "audience" members have gathered together. This critical device assigns the audience their role; it tells them who they're supposed to be and what they're supposed to do. And audiences crave this essential information. It relaxes them and invites their participation because now they know "who they are." In Wedding Song, for example, the audience members are family and friends; in Country Cruising, the audience members are cruise ship passengers getting the final pre boarding briefing. The unique environment of the special world greatly defines the characters. Does the environment remind the audience that they are watching a play or help them participate in a murder investigation. Unconditionally, I choose the latter.
How about scenery? Does the plot depend upon someone banging on a door? Does it require the use of levels; suspects creeping through windows? If the show is illusionistic and requires an extensive setting to frame the dramatic action.... choose again. How much scenery are you going to have in Holiday Inn's reception room? Your audience is your scenery, remember? That's why they came.
What about props and special effects? Does the script require an extensive use of props to make the story happen? If Benny gets impaled on deer antlers while Martha gets poisoned by a fake twenty foot snake as the fog blankets the coffin area, be smart and pick a different script.
Remember: when you have multiple characters you multiply the conflicts which in turn enhances character definition, builds suspense, and increases audience interest. Big casts complicate the rehearsal process but ---more characters; more suspects, more intrigue, more audience involvement; great payoff.
A common device is to have the same actor playing multiple roles; great source of comedy and a rewarding performance challenge. Be careful however. The audience knows/sees this theatrical device; they have trouble separating the actor from the character. Avoid scripts that reveal the murderer to be one of the dually acted roles.
Be careful about same actor playing girl and guy. Again, lots of fun, but these characters shouldn't be the murderer. Doesn't work.
Does the script invite physical action that is possible within this venue space? Can’t have a play where people just “talk” for two hours. On the other hand, will a sword fight really work between the tables?
And foremost, as we have previously discussed: select a script that has fully scripted dialogue. It works; it works consistently; it solves problems. Unless you have Robin Williams in your cast. Then do whatever Robin says.