School and Community Winter 2023

It Was the Teacher in the Gymnasium with the Creative Arts Club... Murder mystery dinner draws community support

BY: PAM CLIFTON I t was a complicated case of whodunit. Elderly patriarch Malachai Stout was found dead in his bedroom. The nearby wall safe was ajar and all the family jewels were missing. So, who killed Malachai? Who stole the jewels? Was it his stately yet stern wife, Winifred? His snobbish daughter, Penelope? Perhaps it was his stuffy, conservative oldest son, Mortimer. Or was it Monica, Mortimer’s sweet-as-sugar, bubbly trophy wife? Maybe it was Malachai’s spoiled-rotten college age granddaughter who preferred spending time with her friends over family. Malachai’s brother Edwin – the black sheep of the family – was always reclusive and kept to himself, so it could have been him. Student actors and two hosts – dressed in their Sunday best – interacted as the very dysfunctional Stout family. They gathered in the cozy sitting room for a family reunion when they discovered Malachai was dead. Viewers were immediately immersed in our first-ever murder mystery dinner theater event. This much anticipated and well-attended event encompassed students and parents, staff and the community. West County R-4 Middle School teacher Sandra Coffman and I had envisioned creating such an event with our after-school Creative

Arts Club members for several years. In August, we decided to take on the challenge with our students in grades six through eight with the help of West County High School teacher Tina Richards. We made a list of what needed to be done: hold auditions, make a list of behind-the-scenes roles including stage crew and technology, create a menu for the dinner, decide on a budget and ticket cost... and much more. Initially, we attempted to write the script ourselves but soon realized purchasing a 45-minute one online was more ideal while we figured out the various logistical aspects of the event. After auditions were completed and a cast list was posted, we practiced with students once a week. Memorizing lines was not as important as it was for the actors to perfect their mannerisms and interactions with each other and the audience. Students designed tickets and made a spreadsheet to keep track of ticket orders. We decided to make the murder mystery dinner theater a free event for our students, families and the community. Fifty attendees were initially expected, but that number soon exceeded the original estimate. Honestly, we were shocked when the reserved ticket ordering deadline arrived with 200 registered guests!

30 | WINTER 2023 S&C