Murder Mystery Night Ideas

Sisters around the world have been doing the murder mystery from this website.  Here are ideas of how they did it.

Just wanted to report to you that our EN went well tonight. We did the mystery dinner theater and we had a blast we had 4 volunteers from the audience to help us and we made up signs that said, applause, quiet please, ooh, aah etc., to get the audience involved.

Instead of the "regular " clues, we researched 6 people from the scriptures ( Ruth, Esther -her name means star in the Permian language), Seth, King Mosiah, Sariah, Zacharias ) and made 3 clues for each of them, the first one pretty hard and easier with the last one a pretty common knowledge one, we had scriptures on each table and had them do the same thing as regular by reading 1st clue, and first course etc.

The room was decorated with fake fichus trees in which we put up white Christmas lights. Our tables were set up with red plates and white bowls for salad, the centerpiece was a square mirror tile with a long stem red rose and some black and red confetti. Same idea as the center pieces were on three long tables set up for each course, but two on each table.

Our dinner was salad, we had veggies cut up to put on, tomatoes, yellow peppers, cucumbers, carrots, croutons, had rolls with it and set up two things with butter plus had the choice of two dressings.

We had the tables numbered and they went up to get their meal by table.  The main course we had the sisters sign up to bring a casserole size dish of lasagna and we provided the fresh beans.
For dessert we kept it simple and had a cake from Costco with a saying: solve the mystery by reading the scriptures. Drink we had ice water with lemon.

Before we had our play and while the cast dressed in their costume, we had each table read out their clues for the other tables so they can guess it too.

I was the narrator and after the play we had the cast bow and had the applause and then we closed the curtain and I finished up by talking about the "moral of the story" and our second counselor had a brief research from last conference about what we have been asked by our prophet to do last conference.

We had little bookmarks made up for them that read : continue your investigation of the scriptures.

Also, the lesson referred to in the script by Sheri Dew (Women of God), we had in the beginning of the evening before the dinner.

-Melanie Scott

My wards Enrichment activity this week was the Murder Mystery Dinner found on the homemakingcottage website. It was fabulous! I changed all the characters to be female and gave new names. We had Judge Judy as the dead judge, and the other characters were Martha Stewart, Hillary Clinton, Marcia Clark, Marianna Pasternak, Dr. Laura
Schlesinger, and Monica Lewinsky the maid. We put pictures of each character at their place setting and had a funeral wreath made out of hydrangeas for the centerpiece. Another sister took butcher paper and drew a body outline on it. The paper was on the
floor and she surrounded the area with police caution tape.

We had a total of 18 sisters which means we had three tables playing the game.

For food we had fruit bowls [(grapes, cantaloupe and blackberries-(free around Seattle)]. Dinner was taco salad. And for dessert we had chocolate cake and Carmel flan.

After the three tables had decided who they think the murderer is I got up for the spiritual
thought. I told the sisters that this was a true murder story and that I had a copy of a documentary that shows how this all played out in real life. I then turned on the gospel doctrine video that portrays this event.

You can find this video clip on "Book of Mormon Video Presentations for Youth and Adult Gospel Doctrine Classes" (VHS 53911) It should be in your library as this is a pretty standard video. It is clip number 7 "The Pride Cycle". I forward it to the part where Nephi is standing on his tower and announces that the Chief Judge has been murdered by his brother. After that I shared some scriptures on pride, bore my testimony and closed. The sisters loved it! Despite the fact that we talked murder all night it was
very tasteful.

Good Luck with your Enrichment Nights!

Deborah Christensen
Issaquah 4th Ward
Renton Washington North Stake
 

We did this for our R.S. Birthday and it was a blast!!!!!!!!!! It was a lot of work but we did it and it was well worth it everyone loved it and was so thrilled to do something new!  It's still the talk around our ward as best activity.

We were actually asked by our bishop 4 weeks before the night to do it as a combined activity with the men Ugh!  I was freaked out but it went better then planned.  Here was our plan:

We announced a Surprise Birthday party for all the sisters and brothers 18 and older dinner would be served.  We didn't even let the Bishop in on the activity since he threw it on us last minute we decided to ask for forgiveness later. Hee hee  We did however let him know that it would be appropriate and it all tied into the scriptures.

I asked about 9 brothers and sisters to help out with play ahead of time made them all swear to secrecy no one was to know anything, They were all excited!! I only gave them the script did not tell them anything more except that they were doing the play and that it was a murder mystery dinner.  I also asked them to be the Table leaders the night of the party at this time everything would then make sense, but would not give them ANY other info!!, which worked out great.. We practiced about 3 times and each was responsible for costume and we also had a sister donate a bunch of different robes and veils.  We made a jail cell out of a large piece of cardboard and cut 2" slats and spray painted it black we stuffed a dummy for the dead body.

The night of the party.  We did not want anyone to know what was going on so we decorated fancy with baskets and all different pictures of Christ, Mary, Joseph Smith Etc. anything to do with R.S.  I had two long tables at each side of the gym draped in a nice table cloth with easel's at each end with large framed pictures.  On the tables I put scriptures and small pictures and baskets mixed in with greenery, then I made table tags with clues on them and placed them all over the long tables in between the other stuff. Nephi, murder, Gaddiaton robbers, faith, guilty, judges, etc. etc. etc.,

All dinner tables were set up to accommodate 8 people.  I decorated each table with a different table cloth and everything matched plates napkins, etc. I even had the balloons match that came up from center of the table (Long ribbon). 

Under each chair I taped an envelope that contained Table Name Tags for each suspect (in right color) and any instructions (table leader) also I believe 1st clue but instructed not to open.  Also in the center of each dinner table I had clues something for each character others just for fun (duh!) scriptures open to 2nd Nephi, feather duster, gavel, rope, phone, journal, pen.

It was a beautiful elegant looking atmosphere with a hitch =).  As our guest arrived we had lights turned down soft music from the choir and escorts to take each person to a table (this was the best idea).  The guest signed in (roll for attendance) and then was escorted in they were all surprised to see how beautiful it was.  As they walked in on there left we had caution tape roped around an outline of a dead body in tape it was hilarious because we just ignored it and acted like it wasn't there, it was funny to see and hear reactions we just played it off.  The guest were sat with different people then they would have sat with we wanted different people then the same clicks (you know what I
mean) another great idea it helped keep them focused and in character.

When everyone had arrived we welcomed everyone, did opening song and announcements and then I dropped the bomb shell I read the "You have all now become
suspects in a murder "yadda yadda yadda,  lot's of shock and o now I get it!  We served cheese and crackers already on table to get started, salad, spaghetti and French bread, and of course Birthday cake.  The play went over great everyone laughed and played their characters well, not many guessed who it was.  I did ask before the play and did not tell them if they were right or wrong tell after the play.  I know I've said it before but this night was so fun a great night to remember the laughs and thrill of the surprise being unveiled the bishop even loved it.

Hope this helps and if you need any other help or ideas let me know. It really wasn't confusing at all, but I have done mystery dinners before.  We sent out a smaller copy of the announcement with our ward news letter and just really hyped up the night that it was a surprise and they wouldn't be sorry.  We had 80 people from our ward that was a record!
Good Luck and Have FUN =)
Jen in Utah