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Nobody here
has to perform.
The fear that keeps most people from hosting one of these is the idea that everyone has to play a part out loud. They do not. The case gives each guest something to know, something to hide and someone to question. Your friends do the rest by being themselves.
No acting is needed. Each guest gets a private brief on their own phone: a few facts, one secret and some questions for other people. There are short lines to read where the story needs them, and nothing else is scripted. The evening runs on conversation and suspicion, not performance, so shy guests do well.
Know something. Hide something. Ask questions.
A guest's whole job fits on a phone screen. That is deliberate: the less there is to remember, the more attention goes on the people across the table.
- A handful of things they know. Where they were, who they saw, what they think of the victim.
- One thing they are hiding. Usually not the murder. Usually something embarrassing enough that they will lie about it anyway, which is what makes everybody look guilty.
- A few questions for other people. So nobody sits there wondering what to say next.
- Short lines where the story needs them. A self introduction, a reaction when evidence lands. Read them off the phone. Nobody expects them memorised.
The television does the performing.
Scenes, evidence and timings play on the shared screen, so nobody has to narrate from a booklet. The host holds a private run sheet and a Next button on their own phone, so the night moves when the table is ready rather than when somebody remembers their cue.
- The host plays the victim. So the person most likely to be nervous about running it is not running a performance either.
- The phone explains the period. When a case turns on an old legal term or a poison, the phone explains it privately. Nobody has to bluff.
- Costume is optional. One line per character on what to wear. Guests who want to dress up can. Guests who do not still play fully.
Who does best at a table with no acting.
In our experience the guest who says they are bad at this is often the hardest to read, because they are not performing. Give them a character with a clear, small job and something worth guarding, seat them between two generous talkers, and ask them directly what they think of somebody else's story.
Acting, answered.
Do you have to act in a murder mystery party?
No. Nobody performs a monologue and nobody is marked on accents. Each guest gets a short private brief: a few things they know, one thing they are hiding, and questions to ask other people. The night runs on conversation, not performance.
Is there a script to read?
There are short written lines where you need them, such as a self introduction when your character is first named, and they are on your own phone. Everything else is you, talking to your friends, trying not to get caught.
What if a guest is shy?
Give them a character with a clear, small job and a secret worth guarding. Quiet guests are often the hardest to read, which makes them very good at this. The host guide on casting explains how to place them.
Do guests have to dress up?
No, but most do once they see their costume note, which is one practical line written for a wardrobe rather than a costume shop.
Can a role be played by anyone?
Yes. Roles are not tied to gender. Hand any character to any guest and their dossier comes back with the name and pronouns changed, without touching the plot or the solution.
A murder mystery
for people who hate drama class.
Pick a case, send the invitations and let the screen run the night. A$39, instant access, nothing to print.