Dear Parishioners,
SAVE THE DATE!
The Parish Pastoral Council is planning a “social” night for adult parishioners on Saturday evening (after the 4:30pm Mass) on November 9th, 2019. It is going to be what is called a MURDER MYSTERY DINNER!!!! I know that seems far away, but, it will take some “planning”. The Parish Council is in need of interested parishioners to form a committee to “get the ball rolling”! If interested connect with me at 330-929-8362 x14 or fatherjim@ihmcfo.org.
A murder mystery dinner is a type of dinner theater in which audience members cooperate with each other and interact with performance cast members in order to solve a fictitious murder scene. Murder mystery dinner shows are most often comedic in nature and performed in coordination with the serving of a multi-course meal. The goal of a murder mystery dinner is for participants to gather clues provided throughout the plot and use them to deduce the identity and motive of the “murderer.”
WHAT HAPPENS AT A MURDER MYSTERY DINNER?
If it is a fully-immersive show, guests will be welcomed into the world of the mystery by costumed actors, who will seat audience members, explain to them the rules of the game, and assign character roles. The roles played by audience participants are usually those of suspects who may have committed the crime. Props or light costuming may be offered to the guest, such as hats or glasses, to signal to other audience members that this person is involved in the show.
Most frequently, guests will be on a team with the others sitting at their tables, and will work together to solve the crime. They will have goals to accomplish throughout the show to figure out which suspect committed the crime.
Act One is meant to “set the scene.” Characters will be introduced and the crime will occur, or will have already occurred prior to the show’s beginning. A salad or appetizer will be served.
An Investigation Time begins. This is the time in which guests begin to mingle, question the suspects, and work on their goals for the evening.
Act Two will reveal more details of the mystery, and the actors may ask participants about their characters and why they might or might not have committed the crime. Dinner will be served.
The second Investigation Time will occur. Participants may have new goals or will be directed to continue narrowing down their suspect lists to figure out “who-dun-it”.
Act Three will often be a rundown of the suspect lineup, giving the teams a final opportunity to discuss who they believe to be the culprit and why. Dessert will be served.
Once guests have submitted their guesses, usually in the form of a worksheet, the actors will wrap up the show by revealing the culprit and explaining their motivation and opportunity.
Many blessings,
Father Jim