Hays Community Theatre mystery dinner theater right around the corner
By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
On Friday, June 28, and Saturday, June 29, the Hays Community Theatre, 121 E. Eighth, will host its next murder mystery dinner theater, “Life’s a Beach…and Then You Die.”
“It is beachy and island-based,” said Sharona Fondoble, HCT board member. “We wanted something to go with the summer.”
Ticketing will close Tuesday, June 25, and tickets cost $25.
Local Hays restaurant Hickok’s Steakhouse, 3402 Vine. will provide dinner.
Alcoholic beverages available will be available, but not included in the ticket price.
“It’s a fun time, good meal and entertainment,” Fondoble said.
While the entire event is expected to last about three hours, she said usually some people stick around after the mystery is solved.
During the event, participants will become a part of the show after dinner is completed working to solve a mystery.
“With this particular one, when you walk in, you will be assigned a character,” Fondoble said.
Unlike previous shows where background information was provided prior to the dinner, attendees will get all the information during the event.
“On this one, we are doing it much simpler,” Fondoble said. “You draw a name out of the hat, that’s who you are. When you visit down at the table, you will be given some basic information about the evening and how it will proceed, so you know what to prepare for.”
During the event, attendees will also work as a team.
“Each table will be separated as a team, and you will function as a team to go with the clues,” Fondoble said.
As clues or riddles are solved, another will present itself until the mystery is solved.
With the murder mysteries, organizers encourage attendees to dress for the show, something that is a part of the plan when coming up with show ideas, Fondoble said.
“It’s not a requirement, but it makes it more fun for everyone,” he said.
The show ideas are a collaboration and put together by a group of writers that works closely with the theater.
“We have a local group of writers, the Ink Blots, that write all of our murder mysteries and they also do our script for haunted tours,” Fondoble said.
After an idea is developed, the HCT coordinates with the writers to ensure the size of the venue and number of anticipated guests to accommodate the story.
“We decided on a theme and they made up the show for us with a pirate-y lost treasure kind of thing,” Fondoble said.
In order to keep the event spontaneous and keep the mystery alive, details of the story are not shared before the event.
“We try to keep it hush-hush, we don’t know a whole lot more than we put out there, that way nobody spills the beans on anything,” Fondoble said.
This is the fourth storyline the HCT has presented, with past dinner theater stories being used on multiple nights.
Typically, Fondoble said, the shows sell out.
Doors for both nights will open at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets for Friday’s show can be found by clicking here.
Tickets for Saturday’s show can be found by clicking here.