A One Night Fundraiser
January 15, 2022
NOTE: While there will be no two-for-one tickets available for Murder at the Ice House Theatre because it is a fundraiser, it appears that at least a few people read to the end of my submission for Hot Flashes. According to the reports in Arts People, 30 tickets were purchased using the two-for-one option. That’s GREAT! Continue to follow our blog because there will be other two-for-one opportunities in the future.
Now to the business at hand: our murder mystery night written, directed, and produced by Visalia Players President Jen Masters. Kudos to Jen for taking on such an awesome task!
Why a participative murder mystery? Because the genre has been entertaining folks since the early 1800’s and never fails to please! The evening can be a new experience for those who don’t normally “participate” when they go to the theatre, and can get the brain cells of all involved activated.
Have you ever watched a murder mystery movie, TV show, or play where you didn’t try to figure out “who done it?” Now, you have the opportunity to put your intuition to work and make your guesses known.
Not only that, but you have the option to “dress up” as well! Murder at the Ice House Theatre is set in the 1920s, and all participants are encouraged to dress in attire from the period. Thinking zoot suit and flapper may help set the era for you, but if not. Here are some ideas:
Opportunities for rental and purchase abound on the Internet. Googling “costume rentals” and “1920s fashion” will more than get you started. What could be more fun that getting to pretend that you are a part of the flapper era with its speakeasies and passwords for entering forbidden haunts?
Period attire is not required, but you might at least wear a head band with a feather!
Now to the plot: A group of actors needing a permanent home decide to renovate an abandoned Ice House in to a theatrical venue. Does this sound familiar? OK, ignoring that, what comes next?
The theatre complete, the thespians pick an opening production to celebrate their hard work and accomplishment. Just as the curtain is going up, a horrifying discovery is made! One of the leading actors has been murdered! The “show must go on”, but it cannot go on without the murder being solved. Your help is needed. Clues abound, but nothing concrete has been revealed.
How the evening will proceed: Hors d’oeuvres will be available from 6:30 p.m. Libations of your choice will be for sale as a start. You will greet your fellow participants, admire their attire, and muse about what participative, interactive, improv theatre will be like. By the way, the number of participants will be capped at 80 so you’ll want to make your reservations early.
At 7:30, Jen Masters will welcome everyone, explain what has happened, and provide the rules for participating in solving the murder. You will then be ushered into the auditorium where the remainder of the action will occur.
The seating area and the stage will be available for investigation by participants, but the backstage area will be off limits. The members of the cast and crew of the stalled production will provide clues, but they are at a loss as to who could have perpetrated such a dastardly deed. YOUR insights will be critical to the successful resolution of the evening.
Oh, yes, there will be a prize for the chief investigator who solves the mystery. Will that be you?
All tickets for the evening of participative entertainment will be $30 and the proceeds will go toward our upcoming ADA improvements. So . . .
COME TO THE ICE HOUSE, HAVE A GREAT EVENING, AND SUPPORT THE VISALIA PLAYERS.
