Murder mystery dinner theatre in Ohio!
One of our customers, Melissa Midcap in Ohio, used our A Dead Man’s Chest murder mystery game and turned it into “In Search of a Dead Man’s Chest”, an interactive pirate dinner event. (She asked for permission before she did this, and we happily granted it.)
(If Melissa’s name is familiar, it may be because she’s used our games as Spanish exams for her students! See here and here.)
In Search of a Dead Man’s Chest
Here’s how it worked:
Melissa had actors portraying the characters and acting out mini-scenes at the beginning. (Written for nine characters, Melissa used five veteran players and four of her drama club students for the other parts.
Throughout, the actors interacted with the guests (who were encouraged to dress up for the theme). Guests were grouped by their tables, solved the crime, and helped the pirates of their choice on a treasure hunt. Mini scenes during the evening moved things along, as did clues hidden throughout the room and on the tables. Each table presented its findings, and there was an ending scene where all was revealed. And lots of prizes were given!
(Note that actors are also players. They act out the scripted play, but they also improvise with the audience, answering their interrogations and trying to win the table’s support.)
Arrival
The guests were immersed from the start – as they arrived, pirates greeted them by waving large pirate flags to mark the entrance. Upon entry, if guests whispered the code phrase from the back of their tickets (“Dead men tell no tales”) to an intimidating pirate, they received a pirate coin.
On their way to the check-in table, guests passed a mean-looking pirate guarding the character Elizabeth, who was tied up and looked sad. She even held out her tied hands to them and squeaked, “Help!” (Nobody tries to help her, but several took pictures!)
The check-in table was manned by another pirate, who greeted them in character, checked them in, and handed them to more pirates who showed them to their tables.
Décor, music and programs
From doors opening until the show started, we had music — pirate songs playing in the background.
Place settings were decorated with pirate-themed placemats and napkins, along with a parrot/treasure chest coloring page, with colored pencils.
The programs included pages with cast member pictures and spaces for note-taking, with pens at the tables.
We also had a photography area with hats, swords, and other props for people to use to take pictures with each other as well as with the cast members after the show.
Trivia questions
The show started with two of our actors asking the audience 30 trivia questions. Correct answers earned pirate coins. The trivia served three purposes:
- It allowed some people to be late and avoided interrupting the opening scene.
- It warmed up the audience.
- The audience received coins that they could use later.
The show starts!
When trivia finished, the show started with two scenes that let the audience meet the characters first.
That was followed by instructions: the audience was told that Captain Flint was dead and that one of the pirates was responsible. They would have opportunities to ask questions of the actors, and they could use the coins to barter with them or with other tables. They had to decide who they could trust and who they would support.
The actors all had coins/jewels that they could use to bribe the audience members. (Captain BlackJack even “bought” a baby on the first night!! The audience thought it hilarious!)
Dinner and the maps
For dinner, Melissa dismissed the tables one at a time. While they were away, a piece of the map was planted on the table for them to find on their return. There were two different-looking maps, and each captain started the evening with a piece (in the script) of opposite maps. So then it was a race to convince audience members to give/sell them the correct map pieces.
During dinner, each actor visited each of the 10-12 tables at least once. They answered questions, tried to make allies, and had a checklist with topics to bring up or hints to drop. Watching the play alone is not enough to solve the mystery – the audience needed to ask questions and dig into each character.
After more scripted scenes, tables were dismissed for dessert. During this time, the actors made the rounds again. It was time to make final decisions about who was supporting whom.
When a pirate had all the pieces of the map, they traded (with Melissa’s husband) the pieces for a full version of the map so they could “follow” it around the room to get to the treasure, which was then shared with the table(s) that helped them most. There were mini-chests with candy and tickets to get something at the prize table. The decorations around the room became the prizes.
A sword fight!
The sword fight was a highlight of the show. An instructor choreographed that for Melissa and the cast.
The fight starts when one of the pirates finds the treasure. Each pirate captain called for their supporters to join them, and the battle began. However, the pirates called a truce and worked together when El Cuervo was revealed, and four-on-one defeated him. And then, after an awkward pause, the pirate captains went back to fighting each other.
The winner of the fight depended on the audience. At the back of the room, Melissa raised the flag of the pirate who she felt had the most audience support. The actors then knew who was supposed to win. (Kerrigan our first night, BlackJack the second time.) So the actors had to learn that both ways, because we didn’t know who would find the treasure and who would win the fight.
Audience reaction
People had a blast. Everyone kept saying they had never attended anything like this before and that we should do another one!
The show raised over $1,000 for the drama team, which will help with their spring production.
Melissa is now thinking about which murder mystery to adapt next!
Melissa has kindly shared her notes with us. If you are thinking of using one of our games as interactive dinner theatre and want to know more about what she did, get in touch.
A Dead Man’s Chest
The murder mystery party that started this adventure!
A Dead Man’s Chest is a pirate murder mystery game for 12 to 16 guests and a host. Two rival pirate ships descend on Caribbean island – who will find Captain Flint’s buried treasure? And who murdered him in the first place?
Written by Mo Holkar.
Recommended for ages 12+.
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