A Dinner Theatre Murder Mystery
by Ian McCutcheon
 
What's it all about?
  • A murder mystery event in which the actors play a brief scripted scene, then the audience / guests review the evidence and solve the mystery!
  • Lazy Bee Scripts provides the opening script and evidence packs
  • The actors play the script, the audience reviews the evidence and accuses the suspects, then the actors play a final scene to reveal whodunnit.
 
What's does Lazy Bee Scripts provide?
Lazy Bee Scripts supplies a pack of material for the performing company including:-
  • An "Organiser's Overview" including general staging guidelines
  • The Opening Script
  • Final Script - the denouement! 
  • Additional materials
    • Accusation sheets (for the audience to supply their guesses for "who dunnit")
    • Six pieces of (written) evidence to be evaluated by the audience
 

What's a Dinner Theatre Murder Mystery?

In this case...

  • The acting company perform a scripted opening scene, at the end of which a murder is discovered
  • The cast are taken off to be questioned by the police and meanwhile the police's evidence is shared with the audience by means of a series of written briefs 
  • The audience try to spot the murderer
  • The acting company performs a final scripted scene in which the murderer is revealed
 
What's in this Mystery?

Courtney Fish is a crime writer, and although rich and famous she has a serious heart condition. The beneficiaries to her will are due to gather at her home, and someone's in for a fatal shock. Those appearing are:

Courtney Fish: A famous, wealthy crime writer
Flora Light: Her secretary and PA, whose mother urgently needs expensive medical care.
Claude Ball: Her husband, although an acrimonious divorce is already under way.
Willy Turner-Lampon: Courtney's lawyer, and a gambler whose creditors are chasing him for money.
Jilly Fish: Courtney's sister. Not on the best of terms with Courtney, but needs money for a business venture.
Herr Ringull: An Austrian fisherman, who once saved Courtney's life, and is now about to go bankrupt.

The script also calls for a Narrator who acts as master of ceremonies, distributing further evidence before the accusations, and revealing  the solution at the end.