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Murder Mystery Dinner expected to sell out
7/24/2008 10:50 PM   0 comment(s) on this story E-mail this story to a friend



By RACHEL JOHNSON

Staff writer

A veteran cast and a comical script are the prime ingredients as the Aiken Downtown Development Association (ADDA) and the Aiken Community Playhouse (ACP) collaborate on their third annual Murder Mystery Dinner Theater.

"Murder at the Tonylou Awards" will be presented Aug. 8 and 9 at Newberry Hall in downtown Aiken. Thurmond Whatley serves as the director of the spoof of the venerable televised awards show. The evening will be complete with a red-carpet entrance.

"There is a lot more than a joke a minute built into the plot," Whatley said. "This mystery is more heavily character driven than many presentations. It's the awards show live telecast where anything can happen and strange situations occur left and right."

Whatley has been involved with ACP in many capacities since 1978. He is presently a director, actor, technician and ACP board president, is employed by Aiken Technical College as an English and theater instructor and serves on the board of the ADDA.

It's the audience's job to find out who-done-it. While not revealing who actually is murdered, Whatley dropped one clue: "Every character in this play has a compelling reason to want the victim dead."

Carla Cloud, ADDA executive director, said, "I think it is really going to be good. It will be fun, silly, and everyone will have a good time."

If audience members want to participate in the evening's entertainment, they are encouraged to; but not everyone has to play an interactive role.

"It is so much fun for the audience to help with the entertaining," Cloud said.

This production serves as the ADDA's primary fundraiser for the year. The event is made possible by the sponsorship of the community. Currently Lionel Smith Ltd., SCANA, M. Smart Custom Framing, the Greater Aiken Chamber of Commerce, Arthur "Buzz" Rich, Wade & Sissie Brodie, George & Ginny Fansmith, UPS International, Stewart and Associates, USC Aiken and Howell Printing have contributed to this event. Anyone interested in sponsorship should contact the ADDA office. Upper level sponsors, $500 or more, will receive new and fun benefits.

Each night of the presentation accommodates around 200 people and reservations should be made in advance as the performances are expected to sell out quickly. Tickets for the performances are $50 each with a cash bar. Proceeds from the Murder Mystery Dinner Theater benefit all activities of the ADDA, such as the Downtown After Six events and Holly Days. It also allows the ADDA to continue to fulfill its mission statement to improve the economic vitality, enhance the beauty and preserve the historical inheritance of the downtown area.

To purchase tickets or for more information, call the ADDA Office in The Alley at 649-2221.

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