Audience become detectives in interactive “Whodunnit!”
The honors advanced drama class hosted their newest original performance for one night only in the auditorium, with doors open to all that had arrived. As the crowd began to move in, the performers of the night had already become one with their characters.
Before long, many in the audience learned the names of the Dudleys whose wealth funded the whole school and met several students and staff of the fictional high school, noting the attire matched what one would see in the 1980s. Before long, everyone settled on the lunch table seats watching the performance as they were given official introductions to each character and their relationships.
Midway through the assembly, Debbie Dudley (played by Nora Layne) was officially done being in a school that showed no respect for her wealth, announcing that she and her family would be leaving, going to get her three million dollar ring.
Ignoring Mrs. Dudley’s outburst, the spotlight stayed focused on the teachers. For a moment, everything seemed as normal as Dudley High would ever get, before the cafeteria began to get noisy as the audience members muttered to each other when Mrs. Dudley’s scream rang out, followed by a tall man stumbling after her. The two went onstage before Mrs. Dudley hid behind her husband while the security guard (played by Emon Dost) who had watched the entrance collapsed on the stage, a knife embedded deep in his chest.
Almost immediately, a man named Jack (played by Pebble Galli) marched onto the stage, claiming to be a part of the FBI, deduced that the murder happened thanks to a certain Dudley’s missing ring, only to be interrupted by another FBI agent (Tien Nguyen) that exposed him as a notorious thief. Yet even though he was a thief, Jack claimed to never steal the ring, proving it with his flight ticket. So that left the question to the audience. Whodunnit?
Papers were distributed to audience members as the news was announced to the unwitting students of Dudley High that they were all now a part of the investigation to find who had killed the guard and more importantly.
“FIND MY RING!” screamed Mrs. Dudley.
And whoever unraveled the mystery first would be able to grab free tickets to the Little Mermaid performance later this month. With delicious chocolate cakes, cookies, and other delicious treats locked behind finding one clue, all of the audience moved to investigate the six clues scattered around the cafeteria. Grouping up with friends and family with a wild fervor that many people scampered for any hint of a clue.
“I thought it was really cool and entertaining how the audience got to be involved and a part of it,” said junior Austin Tang.
During the whole experience many found their hearts pounding with pens scrawling down notes to find whodunit, or maybe a few wanted to find a seven-figure ring to pocket for themselves. Regardless of the case, it made it a fascinating night.