A mystery dinner is a popular type of

dinner theater Dinner theater (sometimes called dinner and a show) is a form of entertainment that combines a restaurant meal with a staged play or musical. In the case of a theatrical performance, sometimes the play is incidental entertainment, secondary to th ...

in which the play is a

murder mystery Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a profession ...

, and the diners are invited to solve the mystery as they eat and watch the play. In many mystery dinners, there is no separate stage from the eating area; instead, the actors are mixed in with the diners — and often improvise dialog with diners — creating a more immersive atmosphere. Fully immersive mystery dinners are a type of

murder mystery game A murder mystery game is a type of party game in which players investigate and solve fictitious murders. In many variations, a player secretly plays as a murderer while the others attempt to determine the murderer's identity. These games typica ...

in which audience members themselves play character roles — often suspects — in themed costume. There are numerous mystery dinner theaters throughout the United States and United Kingdom, these are established venues that provide public shows. Joy Swift is credited with inventing the murder mystery weekend – an interactive dinner theatre which runs uninterrupted from Friday to Sunday – at a hotel in Liverpool on 30 October 1981. She was awarded an MBE in the

2002 New Year Honours New Years' Honours are announced on or around the date of the New Year in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The dates vary, both from year to year and from country to country. All are published in supplements to the London G ...

for her invention. There are also kits available for "hosting your own murder mystery dinner" at home, as well as troupes of actors who perform (and cater) private shows, or mystery dinners, in client's homes. Some such kits may not be specifically written for a dinner event, but can be adapted to suit that purpose.

References

External links

"Hosting a Murder Mystery Dinner Party"
About.com

grimprov.com Theatrical genres Restaurants by type Dinner theatre Detective fiction {{mystery-stub

See also

References

External links