By BEN BRUHNKE

beb011@latech.edu

 

It is New Year’s Day in 1928, and the most luxurious blimp ever created is taking flight from Tangier, Morocco, to the United States.

During the air voyage, passengers begin to get killed. Discovering who was killed, and, more importantly, who the killer is, well, that is where students come in.

Tech’s Wesley Foundation is hosting “Murder Is in the Air,” an interactive murder mystery theater presentation, starting at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Grace United Methodist Church Family Life Center, located at 3401 North Trenton St. A matinee version will also be shown at 2 p.m. Sunday.

“This play is an amazing opportunity to participate in a life-size game of Clue,” Jessica Foreman, an intern at the Wesley and director of the play, said. “On the airship, people will get murdered. When it comes to the last scene, you get a chance to solve the case.”

Foreman said the audience will not only be able to solve the mystery, but audience members can interact with the actors of the play as well.

“Each guest will be not only an audience member but will be given a name tag of a character that they will be playing and a background of their character,” Foreman said.

“The main actors of the play will be sitting along with the audience, and each guest will be given money to bribe the actors for clues about the mystery. Each guest is allowed to participate in the play as much as they wish.”

Foreman said dinner will be served to each guest during intermission of the play, so before the show starts, guests will be served hors d’oeuveres.

During the show, the audience will be served a salad, main course dinner and dessert.

On the Sunday matinee, the audience will only be served coffee and dessert before the performance.

“We want to set the mood for the play,” Foreman said. “Each audience member is supposed to be a first class passenger on the blimp, so we want to make it as believable as possible.” 

Corwin Jones, an actor in the play and a freshman electrical engineering major, said the show is a once-in-a-lifetime event.

“I think people should come because it’s such a different change to theater,” Jones said. “Everyone that comes is a character and somehow related to another character. How often can you walk into a theatre production and suddenly be the star of the show?”

The cost of the Friday and Saturday performance will be $20 for adults and $15 for students. The Sunday matinee will be $15 for adults and $10 for students.

Even though the average college student’s wallet is not very deep, Foreman believes that the cost of the show is worth what the audience will get in return.

“I think that the price is pretty reasonable,” Foreman said. “It’s a unique experience that students won’t be able to find anywhere else.”  

Andy Shows, a freshman physics major and member of the Wesley, said the performance is not only for fun, but is a fundraiser for upcoming mission trips the Wesley is putting together.

“The money from the show is going toward a mission trip to New Orleans,” Shows said. “The cast is a great group of people, and the is going to be a blast. I hope the audience will enjoy the performance.”