Ding Dong Murder Mystery 

A Dinner Theatre Murder Mystery
by Archie Wilson
 
What's it all about?
  • A murder mystery event in which the actors play a mixture of scripted and improvised elements, then open up for interrogation by the audience / guests
  • Lazy Bee Scripts provides the scripted elements and character briefs  
  • The actors play the script then improvise their interactions with the audience
 
What's does Lazy Bee Scripts provide?
Lazy Bee Scripts supplies a pack of material for the performing company including:-
  • A "narrative arc" for the murder, covering
    • Essential events
    • Scripted elements
    • Partially scripted opening interrogation
    • The resolution!
  • A background brief for each character
    • Character description
    • Character history
    • Motivation
  • General staging guidelines
    • Recommendations for preparation
    • Suggestions for "staging"  
  • Additional materials
    • Solution sheets (for the audience to supply their guesses for "who dunnit")
 
Note that Lazy Bee Scripts does not provide a complete script for the dialogue. Because the actors are interacting with the audience, it is not possible to stick to a fixed script, instead the actors improvise parts of the dialogue based on their character briefs
 

What's a Dinner Theatre Murder Mystery?

  • The event is run during a meal as a mixture of a set drama and interaction between players and audience 
  • In this case
    • St Adolphus Campanology Society (SACS) have unexpectedly won a prestigious 8 bell peal competition in Oxford. The vicar has thrown a celebratory party for the whole congregation.  
  • The acting company perform a brief opening scene, at the end of which a murder takes place.
  • A detective does an opening interrogation of the suspects
  • The suspects are interrogated by the audience
  • The audience try to spot the murderer
  • There is a brief final script in which the murderer is revealed
 
What's in this Mystery?

SACS, a bell-ringing society have won a prestigious competition in Oxford. They throw a party to celebrate their triumph, inviting the whole church congregation.
The following are the guests of honour:
Patrick Peal: Conductor and caller of SACS, married to Pauline Peal. An ex-army major.
Pauline Peal: Patrick's wife and fellow bell ringer at SACS. Plays bell two.
Campbell Clanger: A bell ringer at SACS. Has a reputation for being a bit of a womaniser. Good with computers.
Clarrissa Chime: A bell ringer. Her other hobbies include karate, at which she is an expert.
Belinda Bell: A bell ringer. Belinda has seen more than her fair share of men, and is married to Brian Bell (for now!).
Brian Bell: Belinda's husband and fellow bell ringer. At least one sandwich short of a picnic.
Bob Minor: A prodigous composer and all-round music nerd.
The Reverend Samuel Seaton: Vicar of St Adolphus's church, whom SACS represent in their bell-ringing competitions.

During the celebrations the door bursts open and Melanie Marchant, a ringer from a rival group, barges in accusing SACS of stealing her society’s composer. She is wrestled up to the bell-tower and away from the crowds, and there she has a fatal 'accident'...
Enter super sleuth Sherbert Holmes to help the guests solve a dastardly murder!
 
What do I need to Buy?
Lazy Bee Scripts charges two fees:-
  • A flat fee of £15 for the murder mystery scenario pack
    • Downloadable from the Internet as a zip file
    • Containing all the essential materials
    • Can be used multiple times by your acting company (but you must pay the performance fee for each performance)
  • A fee of £20 for each performance of the scenario (regardless of the "audience" size)