Act of Union
by Adam Croft
What's It All About?
- A Murder Mystery for an acting company to perform to an audience
- The actors improvise the dialogue based on plot and character briefs provided by Lazy Bee Scripts
- The audience try to work out whodunnit
What Does Lazy Bee Scripts Provide?
Lazy Bee Scripts supplies a pack of material, including:-- An Overview for the Organiser, including
- Guidelines for preparing the mystery
- Guidelines for running the mystery
- A "narrative arc" for the mystery
- Key plot points
- Essential events
- Character Briefs for each character
- Character description
- Character history
- Motivation
- The Solution
- An explanation of who dunnit and why!
- Additional Materials
- Detective Sheets for the audience to submit their accusations
Note that Lazy Bee Scripts does not provide a 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 dialogue based on the "narrative arc."
| What's a Murder Mystery Event? |
- The audience members are brought together for a fictitious 'special event'. A murder takes place, which the participants are invited to solve.
- In this case
- The scenario is set at a wedding reception with the actors as (mainly) the top-table party and the audience as the other guests.
- The scenario procedes through the normal wedding reception format, with speeches from the top table before arguments break out.
- One of the party is murdered. (Fortunately this happens offstage, because it involves a lot of blood.)
- The audience are left to solve the crime.
- This Mystery Needs
- An 'acting company' of 3 men and 4 women
- One set comprising furniture
- Estimated run times (which may vary enormously!)
- Improvised elements: 30 minutes
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| Want to know more? Download the (pdf) Taster Pack |
What's the Mystery Here?
It is the wedding reception of Gary and Victoria Sponge, who have just got married at a local registry office, much to the dismay of Victoria’s ultra-religious mother, Virginia. Assembled at the top table are:
Gary Sponge the groom
Victoria Sponge the bride
Dick Sponge Gary’s father
Mildred Sponge Gary’s mother
Alexander Falls Victoria's father
Virginia Falls Victoria's mother
And then, a gatecrasher arrives in the form of Jenny Tulworts ex-lover of Gary and mother to his secret child.
The mood seems happy but family feuds soon come to the fore, as does the class divide between the Sponge and Falls families, eventually leading to murder.