The new year is just a few weeks away, which mean at Stone’s Throw Dinner Theatre it’s time for us to prepare for our New Year’s Eve Audience Participation Murder Mystery.
Auditions for our show, “Win, Lose, or DIE!” by Eileen Moushey, will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 26 and Tuesday, Nov. 27 at the theatre, 2855 Old 66 Blvd, west of Carthage on Old Route 66.
There will be a single performance on, of course, Dec. 31. Doug Dickey is directing.
“As with most of our New Year’s Eve shows, it seems like a lot of work for a single show, but we have fun just getting ready for them,” Dickey said. “I know because I’ve acted in four of them, and this will be my second time directing one.”
Win, Lose, or DIE! is a funny, campy show-within-a-show – a game show with murder in the bonus round!
The play centers around the popular (and fictional) game show, Lyrical Pursuit, where knowledge of lyrics could lead to fame and fortune, and its nationwide tour has brought it to Carthage!
The charismatic show host invites audience members to challenge the current Lyric King to a battle of memory and melody. But before the show is over, someone winds up dead.
Who done it? Was it the glamorous assistant? Or the disgruntled ex-champ? Or is there something about the super-sweet sponsor that’s oddly sinister?
The audience will investigate, following clues left throughout the theatre, and right before midnight, the culprit will be unmasked!
The script calls for three men (character ages ranging from 30 to 80) and four females (20 – 80). If necessary, the gender of a couple of roles can be changed.
A unique feature of this play is that audience members who would like to be “contestants” a la The Price is Right can sign up in the lobby as they arrive.
At the start of the “show,” a select number will be called up to the stage to play Lyrical Pursuit. The nature of this manner of audience participation requires that actors are very good at improvisation.
The play will also need several people to assist in “crew” roles – not just backstage crew but unscripted ad lib role working with audience members, roles that will require acting/improv abilities.
Rehearsals will start Monday, Dec. 10, at 6:30 p.m. at the theatre.
