Was it the jealous sister? The crazy French brother-in-law? The ditsy female friend? ACBU’s murder mystery event on Wednesday kept everyone guessing until the very last minute.
When sophomore sustainability major and co-coordinator of the event Abbey McComb started brainstorming ideas for this event, she wanted it to be interactive yet easy for everyone to understand while on Zoom. This is what drew her to this style of murder mystery dinner, where professional actors did all the acting, and the viewers were encouraged to ask questions, collaborate and share theories in breakout rooms.
The event began with two narrators giving a rundown of the night the murder occurred and actors with elaborate costumes and accents introducing themselves. This immediately sparked chaos as the characters pointed fingers at one another, and each person explained why they couldn’t possibly have killed Pepe Roni that fateful night at his restaurant.
After taking in some clues, students were put into breakout rooms to share what they had noticed and were even offered the opportunity to interview any character they felt seemed suspect.
“Audience participation was amazing,” McComb said. “It was great seeing people so into the investigation.”
More facts were given, more theories were shared and a final poll was taken to see who the audience thought the culprit was. Additionally, actors and students shared who they thought did a particularly good job at sleuthing.
Finally, coordinators revealed the murderer, the brother who mistook Pepe for his twin brother. The expert investigators named by their peers were given the prize of a $40 Amazon gift card along with everyone else who guessed correctly.
Overall, McComb felt that the night was a success.
“I was excited to have all of these actors working for us since the theatrical arts are kind of struggling right now,” McComb said. “[They] were so fun to interact with and they really kept the night going.”
McComb’s co-coordinator, Ben Reitmeier, was also incredibly pleased with how the night went. Overall, the event drew in over 30 Bradley students.
“The thing that most surprised me about the event was the dedication that the actors had to the parts,” Reitmeier said. “Everyone was really getting involved and enjoying the event by asking questions and trying to deduce the answer.”
