NFCC Does "Death Of A Doornail"

The North Florida Community College Sentinel Upstage Players will present Death of a Doornail at the Wardlaw-Smith-Goza Conference Center (the Mansion) in Madison, Nov. 10, 11, 16 and 17. The historic antebellum mansion is the residence of eccentric millionaire, Albert Doornale, who has invited all of his close friends to his estate. The only problem is, Albert is not there; no one has seen him. None of the guests have any idea why they are there, or what happened to their host. That is until blood is found. Was Albert killed and carried away? A murder investigation will begin, as soon as a body is found. It may be a long wait.
The cast is a mix of old and new faces: NFCC student Sanam Akbar of Madison plays Pricilla Doornale, the spoiled rich daughter of Albert Doornale; Judie Baldwin, Madison, plays Abigail Doornale, the bitter ex-wife of Albert. Bethanee Dyal, NFCC student from Dowling Park, and Jon Jackson, Madison, are special guests. NFCC student Brian McLain of Jasper is Edward, nephew of Albert, a real “Poindexter” type. Veteran performer Judy McCormack, Madison, is the bored and bitter cook, Mrs. Morganford; Molly McCormack, Madison, is Inspector Bulowski, eager for a big case to fall in her lap; student Jessica Nixon, Madison, is Candace Bambay, the current girlfriend of Albert; and NFCC student T.J. Rutherford, Madison, is Mortimer, a typical English style butler. Madison residents Bob Wieland and Bucky Christmas also make special guest appearances.
NFCC’s Jessica Webb directs this fun production and Denise Bell once again works her magic behind the scenes.
Shows are Nov. 10, 11, 16 and 17 at 7 p.m. as Dessert Theater performances. Tickets are $15.00; advance reservations required. Contact Denise Bell at 850-973-9481 or email [email protected] for more information and to reserve seats.

"Murder Me Always" in Berumda

The Warwick Academy Drama Department in Warwick, Bermuda is presenting three evenings of murder and mayhem starting tonight 10/06/06. The School’s budding thespians will be presenting the play “Murder Me Always”. The murder mystery, which is being directed by Tracey Dempster and Matthew Duffield, will take place in the school’s old quad, entrance through the main front gates on Middle Road.
On opening night tonight, the audience will enjoy an Italian Food Night before the performance while Friday, attendees will chow down on curry before navigating the ins and outs of the murder. Saturday’s audience will enjoy a Bermudian-themed Food Night.
Doors open and refreshments will be available from 6.15 p.m. The buffet dinners will be served from 6.45 p.m. with the curtain rising at 7.30 p.m. Dessert will be served during the intermission.
Tickets are on sale at the school’s main office. There are only 80 tickets available each evening and the tickets are $40 for adults and $20 for children.

"Death of A Doornail" in Lawrence Kansas

Lawrence High School presents "Death of a Doornail" a murder mystery, audience participation comedy.

Eccentric Millionaire, Albert Doornale has invited all of his close friends to his estate; including his ex-wife Abigail, his current fiance Candy Bombay, and his childhood friend from the lower East Side, Salvatore Carbone. Everyone arrives at the estate greeted by the grumpy Butler and cutlery carrying cook. The only problem is, Albert is not there, no one has seen him. Not his nerdy Nephew or his socially spoiled daughter. None of the guest have any idea why they are there or what happened to their host. That is until blood is found in the upstairs bathroom. Was Albert killed and carried away? In the nick of time, Inspector Bukowski arrives on the scene. A murder investigation will begin, as soon as a body is found. It may be a long wait.


Come early as exciting pre-show entertainment starts at 6:45.

September 29th and 30th at 7:30.


Tickets are $2 for students and $4 for adults. Tickets are available at HyVee, Cottin's Hardware, and at the door of LHS auditorium.

For more information, visit Lawrence.Com

Murder Me Always for the New Year In Baytown

The Baytown Little Theater in Baytown Texas announced they will feature the Murder Mystery Murder Me Always as their New Year's Special. The production will run December 31, 2006, January 5, 6 at 8:00 p.m. Sunday Matinee, January 7 at 2:30 p.m. For more information check out their site at Baytown Little Theater.

"Death Of A Doornail" in Historic 19th Century Mansion

From WKRC 12 in Cincinnati's Community Connection Page:

Murder, mayhem, mystery and more are on the menu at Hillforest Victorian House Museum this spring at a series of special Murder Mystery Dinners, Dearborn County tourism officials and Hillforest Museum representatives announced today. The dinners will take place April 21 and 22 at the historic 19th-century mansion in downtown Aurora, Indiana.
Performed by local theater troupe Rivertown Players, the Hillforest Murder Mystery Dinners will feature an ensemble presentation of “Death of a Doornail” a traditional murder mystery set in the drawing room of a country estate. It is the home of Albert Doornale, an eccentric millionaire whose party guests suddenly become suspects when their host turns up dead, leading to an evening of drama and suspense for all in attendance. “When it comes to staging a murder mystery, Hillforest is an ideal setting,” said Hillforest Executive Director Jim Waldon. “With its period architecture and historic ambience, the mansion offers the perfect atmosphere for this type of event.” Originally built in 1855 by industrialist and financier Thomas Gaff, Hillforest is located at the top of Main Street overlooking the Ohio River and city of Aurora. The mansion was acquired in 1956 by the Hillforest Historical Foundation, which then opened the home as a museum. Over the years Hillforest has been restored it to its original beauty and today depicts the graceful lifestyle of the Victorian period. Open for tours from April through December, Hillforest is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated a National Historic Landmark. The Hillforest Murder Mystery Dinners will take place at 6:30pm on April 21 and 22, with advance reservations required by April 14. For more information or to reserve your ticket ($40 for Hillforest members; $45 for non-members), please contact Hillforest at 812-926-0087 or visit www.hillforest.org.

"Stay As Dead As You Are" in Groton

The Groton Council On Aging is proud to announce the cast of the second Mystery Dinner Theater, to be presented on June 10 at the Bull Run in Shirley.
“Stay As Dead As You Are,” a mystery about members of the class of 1967 attending their reunion prom, will feature School Committee Chairman Chuck McKinney; Martha Campbell, director of the Council on Aging; Margaret Perras, Rivercourt Residences public relations director; Bonnie Biocchi, executive director of the Nashoba Chamber of Commerce; Stephanie Gaudetti, director of public relations at Nashoba Valley Medical Center; assistant assessor Rena Sweezy; Groton businessman Peter Myette; former Groton Police Sgt. Jack Balonis, and state Rep. Robert Hargraves and Ellen Hargraves. Directing this performance is Jane Bouvier. Assistant director is Norma Garvin. A few surprise celebrities might pop up during the evening.

Tickets are now on sale for $25 which includes dinner and the show, with a cash bar available. Call (978) 448-1170 for tickets or ask any cast member.

"All Over But The Shooting" Raises Laughs & Funds

Article below appeared in the "The Talon", York High School's newspaper. Yorktown, VA.

Sophomore Production Raises Funds

By Taylor Riccio

The sophomore class had an unusual fundraiser this year: a murder-mystery snack theatre performed by York High’s Falcon Players. The fundraiser was a major success due to the hard work put in by the directors, actors and volunteer sophomores.
Sophomore class sponsors Jaime Miller and Heather Davis, both English teachers, conceived idea of a snack theatre to raise money. The concept for the show was created from Davis’ concern over the lack of a musical this year and desire to give the drama students something to do in the spring. Though it is a sophomore fundraiser, auditions were open to all classes.

The show “All Over But the Shooting” was written by Lee Mueller. The show is a comedic murder-mystery revolving around a murder committed during an audition for a show.

Lacking the luxury of an auditorium, the fundraiser was performed in the school cafeteria. The Players were forced to make due with what they had. Costs of the show were kept to a minimum so most of the ticket sales could go into the sophomore accounts. Costuming was provided from the actor’s existing wardrobes and the set was made of borrowed chairs and tables already in the cafeteria.

Accordingly, snacks were provided for the audience by donations from members of the sophomore class. The snacks were provided at a nominal fee and were served at intermission.

Since the snacks were all donated, the snack sales were all profit that went directly into the class fund.

Attendance of the performance was more than double what had been expected for the showing.

The show brought in over one thousand dollars in profit to the sophomore class through ticket and food sales. Due to the success of the fundraiser Miller and Davis plan to have a similar event next year.

Little Falls NY is Getting Murdered In The Morning

Little Falls, New York ---
The senior class of Oppenheim-Ephratah Central School is staging a murder mystery dinner theater presentation, "I’m Getting Murdered in the Morning,” this Thursday and Friday. Dinner starts at 6:30 p.m.

The mystery swirls around a wedding reception, where during the garter toss a mysterious man falls dead from a gunshot. An interesting array of wedding guests, including Mr. Parker, damage control expert, and Mary Berger, a society columnist, attempt to solve the mystery, while keeping the reception running smoothly. Many clever plot twists take the diners on a wild, mysterious ride before the truth is finally revealed.

The murder mystery dinner theater will be held in the Oppenheim-Ephratah Central School cafeteria and the cost is $10 for adults and $7 for children ages 10 and younger. Tickets are available at the school, or can be purchased from a member of the O-E Class of 2006.

Perkins County Presents...

The Perkins County Area Arts Council in Grant Nebraska will be presenting the murder mystery I'm Getting Murdered In The Morning at the Perkins County High School on March 31st. April 1st and April 2nd. Check out Perkinscountycreators.com
Tickets are on sale in the showroom at Deaver Computer Service through March 15th during the stores regular hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon - Fri and Saturdays 9 a.m. 'til noon For ticket information and reservations drop by Deaver Computer Service, 223 Central Ave. Grant, Nebraska and ask our PCAAC ticket sales folks or call (308) 352-6508 during regular business hours 9-5 weekdays & 9-noon Saturday.

A Grand Time in Granville

I was recently invited to see one of my productions performed by Granville High School students. Here is the article:

Playwright's presence boosts GHS actors
by BRIAN MILLER
Sentinel Reporter


Playwright Lee Mueller had never been to a production of one of his plays outside of his hometown of St. Louis, Mo. So when the invitation came from Granville High School underclassman play director Samantha Mastrian Bell to attend the production she was directing of his play "Murder Me Always" last Saturday, he agreed.
Her cheeky invitation gave the cast the thrill of meeting a playwright. Cast member and freshman Moriah Parrish said during the first weeks of rehearsal the thought of the playwright being in the audience made her nervous. But by the time of the production, her reaction changed to excitement.

And after Mueller met her and other cast members after the show and told them a little about how he developed the characters, she had more reason to be positive.

"He was laid back and nice," she said.

Bell knew Mueller's work from having directed another of his plays while she was employed in the Zanesville School District. She said his plays are a good match for high-school actors.

"The writing is doable for high-school kids and the language is easy," she said.

Bell, an elementary-school music teacher, said she chose "Murder Me Always" because she liked the central idea in it -- a play within a play. A theater company's very bad performance comes to a sudden halt when the director is murdered. The second mystery takes over, and the entire cast become suspects. A gumshoe detective comes on the scene to investigate.

Though the play has a script to fall back on, Mueller's hope is for it to ride a lot on improvisation by the cast and the spontaneity of the audience, which is invited to help solve the mystery.

While improvising, freshman Tom Ream, who plays a suspect-turned-undercover cop, lists song titles for his upcoming musical. Mueller liked his ad lib addition and approached him after the show to ask if he could put it permanently in the script.

"Go for it," said Ream.

For Mueller, 45, writing plays is a night job he does for fun. His regular job is as a software trainer. He sells his two-act comedy murder mysteries through a Web site. A St. Louis theater, Affton Center Stage, regularly puts on his plays.

Mueller says he gets a kick out of seeing his thoughts, jokes and ideas interpreted by other people, and by an audience coming to see his work.

"People are taking the time from their lives to see my plays," he said.