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, evidence packs and the script for the denouement
  • 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?

Emma Royde is a wealthy widow whose late husband, Andy, was the victim of a hit-and-run driver.  Emma has a drink problem. And to make matters worse, she's had an anonymous letter, telling her that one of the beneficiaries in her will is going to kill her. So is it wise of her to invite them all to her home…?  Emma's guests are:

Dan Druff: A retired police officer, who investigated Andy's death.
Penny Sillen: Emma's sister, recently divorced, and her only blood relative.
Lance Boyle: An old friend of Andy's, and chief accountant at Andy's company.
Father Back: The priest who officiated at Andy's funeral.
Tess Tykell: The surgeon who battled in vain to save Andy on the operating table.

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.