To raise funds for the long awaited Whanganui District Library extension, the library is holding a murder mystery night.
It's the sort of thing local thespian and database manager Mark Frampton used to do all the time in the UK, with his company A Stab In the Dark Murder Mysteries. Now he's organising one here to assist the library.
"I was approached by local playwright Joan Rosier-Jones. I was in the play that she wrote — "Flat Out" — that Repertory put on in April. She approached me during that because she had heard that, in the UK, I used to run a Murder Mystery company." For 15 years, in fact. "We have done lots of events at hotels, private homes, pubs, all sorts. Then my wife Krystyna and I emigrated to New Zealand last September and then to Whanganui in January."
They had been to Whanganui before and fell in love with it. "It's not your typical New Zealand town," he says.
"In the back of my mind I always thought that if there was an opportunity to do murder mysteries here, then bring the company here as well. My business partner is still running it in the UK ... and this came up, so ... "
A Stab In the Dark Murder Mysteries now has a Whanganui branch, and the next thing Mark knew, he was involved in the Whanganui fundraiser.
The event is being held at the 120-year-old Bushy Park homestead. "It's an ideal location," says Mark. The theme is 1920s. "People can dress up: that adds to the atmosphere of it. This one is a sort of a cross between Downton Abbey and Lady Chatterley's Lover. There's a mix of characters from above stairs, below stairs."
So how does a murder mystery work?
"There's obviously a murder: the clue is in the title. Over the course of the evening and between courses, (there's a three-course meal included in the ticket price) there will be an Inspector — that'll be me — who acts as a sort of guide for the guests. There will be evidence that comes out over the course of the night, that people can believe or not believe; the suspects will give their take on stories and evidence that's presented that puts them in a bad light; the guests have the opportunity to ask questions directly to the suspects, to me, with the aim of working out, individually, who they think did the murder and why. At the end of the night, they all put down their answer and the person closest to the right answer wins the prize.
"The suspects (and perhaps the victim) are all local actors and the guests are there to help the Inspector. They can be as involved or not as they would like to be.
"It's lighthearted, it's jokey, but the puzzle is well thought out." He says there is a basic script but it is 90 per cent improvised.
It's on for August 20 with a limit of 40 tickets.
"I'm hoping it will lead to more events, either there or elsewhere, but certainly hoping to raise a good amount of money for the extension at the library.
Mark says he's looking for actors he can call upon for future murder mystery events.
For any enquiries about putting on murder mysteries or to audition for future events the email address is astabinthedark.nz@gmail.com.
