Red Leg the Dreaded's Billy Bowleg's invasion!

We LOVE this time of year - it's Billy Bowlegs time!  It's so cool having this very unique local legend and community celebration.  And we have a blast getting our float ready and participating in the Torchlight Parade.  This year was particularly fun, as we added a couple more enhancements to the old girl and Red Leg the Dreaded was in top form.  Red Leg and his sidekick Pillage Ann Freebooty can be seen one more time this week in Navarre - we'll be performing at O'Connor's Irish Pub on Friday night - our first Navarre show!  Very excited to be at O'Connor's and hope to make this a regular thing for us.  Our weekly shows at Angler's Beachside Grill on Okaloosa Island continue, and the Crab Island Cantina in Destin  is starting off strong.  Keep your fingers crossed for us this summer!  Hoping to entertain thousands of visitors and have them come back for more year after year.  ~ Paula

The anticipation is KILLING me!

I started Act4Murder in 2003, and we've been busting our rears ever since finding great venues and groups for performance.  We've found success in Ft. Walton Beach, Niceville, Crestview, Pensacola, and plenty of other locations, but finding our "home" in Destin has been the real challenge.  We want to perform for tourists weekly, and Destin is the place to be!

Tonight marks our debut at the Crab Island Cantina in HarborWalk Village.  We were there all day yesterday talking to folks during the Spring Fest of 2014, and then last night we celebrated my parent's 60th wedding anniversary at Margaritaville, so had more opportunities to talk to folks and see the village at night.  And man is it an exciting place to be!  There's so much going on - live music, delicious food and drinks, zip-lining, rock climbing and other activities... and now our shows are going to be included in this lively location.

Our WHO DUNNIT tonight is also a WE DID IT!  Thanks to all our local friends and followers over the years who have helped build us up, get our name out there, and make this dream a reality! ~~ Paula

On the Job Training

We had an enjoyable couple of weeks off - no rehearsals or shows - but are back at it with two shows this weekend, then shows every Friday for the rest of the month and one private show that should be a blast in Atmore, Alabama.  We haven't had a road trip since October and we do love our road trips.  May will be even busier, with weekly shows at Angler's and a Relay for Life fundraiser in Niceville we're excited about.

We're getting ready for our summer run, so are rehearsing all the different shows we'll be rotating through, in addition to rehearsals for some private parties and one-of-a-kind events.  From here on out it will be very busy for Act4Murder, until we hit June, then it'll be performances only and no rehearsals.  This is a time we all love - it's like when start a new job.  You have all that training to go through, then suddenly you've got it and you just get to DO the job, not LEARN the job.  That's how it is when the rehearsing is done.  Lots of doing.

This summer is going to be very exciting for us, because in addition to weekly shows at our favorite Angler's Beachside Grill on Okaloosa Island, we're adding a weekly Destin show at the Crab Island Cantina.  We're thrilled to be joining the list of activities going on at HarborWalk, and plan to entertain many eager Destin vacationers from June through August, as we do the Okaloosa Island vacationers.

For our local followers, the two shows will be different each week, so be sure to check our calendar for what's going on.  If you're anything like me, you have plenty of company in the summer from friends and family around the country who love coming to our area for a beautiful beach vacation.  With all those out-of-town guests, two shows a week gives you plenty to choose from as far as evening entertainment goes.

Anyway, it was nice to have some time off, but when you love what you do, it's even nicer to get back to work!  ~~ Paula

Looking back...

It was March 13, 2003, and I had a sick knot in the pit of my stomach.  My very first production was about to debut - a fundraiser for the non-profit my sister was the COO of, Horizons of Okaloosa County.  We were about to perform PEACE, LOVE... AND MURDER! And I was a nervous wreck!

It was a long road to this point.  I had moved here from California to Ft. Walton Beach in July of 2002 and decided to start up my own acting troupe.  In California I was performing with several murder mystery troupes, and had written three shows.  The shows had been produced in California, but not by me.  Nor had I ever directed a bunch of actors.  So when I decided to start my own troupe, there were quite a few things I had to figure out.  I needed to establish my business for one thing - I got a dedicated business line, revamped my website, business cards, business license, business name permit... all those little things you have to have to start a small business.  Then... actors.  Where would I get actors?!

My sister wasn't too thrilled with the show we were going to perform - for some reason she "didn't like it," but she played along and put the word out at a board meeting that we were looking for volunteers to perform for their fundraiser.  Lo and behold I got the seven actors needed, so I put together a rehearsal schedule and we were off and running.

I won't go into details, but I was a novice, and had a lot to learn.  Despite that, somehow we pulled it all together, and I even added special unique signature touches to that production that are still in place today.  Table decorations, table signs, special music, a "death dance," all add class and style to an already memorable event.

But that night, March 13, 2003, all I knew was Horizons had sold over 100 tickets and my troupe was about to go on.  I wasn't in the show, so from the side watched as they made their entrances and started what is now one of the finest performance troupes in  Northwest Florida.  They nailed that show, and it set a precedence - we continue to perform annually for Horizons of Okaloosa County, with my sister as CEO now, raising around $80,000 for them in the past twelve years.

And she even changed her mind about PEACE, LOVE.. AND MURDER, deciding it was a pretty funny show after all!

Since then, I've written a total of 28 shows, we've performed over 400 times for almost 20,000 guests - public, private and fundraising events. We've performed in restaurants, convention centers, houses, condos, back yards, even tents.  We've overcome obstacles and difficult economic times, and we continue to grow and thrive.  But most importantly, we continue to entertain - laughter is the best medicine, and we are some of the best "doctors" in town!  Thanks to Horizons for giving us our start 11 years ago, to the restaurants who bring us in to perform for their events, and to everyone who supports us by coming to our shows, advertising our shows, and hiring us for their own fundraising events.  And a special thanks to that first cast of 2003, Marcia WrightReynolds, Jimi Harper, Mark Zaffrann, Mark Violette, Tammy Mixon, Mike WrightReynolds and Kay Yarbrough, who is still an essential actress with Act4Murder today!  ~ Paula

A KILLER night!

I'm still coming down from last night's high after our incredibly successful performance of KILLER IN THE KITCHEN.  Don't get me wrong - I expected the show to go well.  What I didn't expect was for the show to be perfect.  And that the guests (all 130 of them) would give my actors a standing ovation at the end of the night.  Or that the audience participation would be so amazingly hysterical.  Or that the songs and dances would go off without a hitch.  I guess when every single thing comes together and I look around and see people doubled-over laughing, I know I've done my job as a writer and as a director. Very proud of my actors, and myself!  :)

I'd also like to point out the venue was superb, as usual.  The show was at the Wyndham Garden Inn on Okaloosa Island, and Jessica Young and her crew did their typical amazing job setting up the room and making sure everything went smooth from their end.  The room was just gorgeous, the tables popped (my centerpieces turned out prettier than even I had imagined they would), the food was delicious, and the staff just the nicest people you could ever hope to work with.  Looking forward to the next one there too, in April for the Okaloosa Arts Alliance.  It's truly a pleasure to work at the Wyndham Garden Inn with Jessica and her staff.

And finally, the folks from Horizons are just amazing.  Tracy and her husband Mark go over and beyond. This fundraiser was Tracy's responsibility, and she worked her tush off making sure everything was perfect.  Plus she's a joy to work with.  Every step of the way, this fundraiser was pure fun to organize and put on.  And Mark!  Not sure where to even start with him.  What started as a simple idea last year to give the guests a souvenir photo has turned into a work of art from Mark's end.  He sets each photo up with exact precision and care, making sure to capture everyone in front of our show props, and then he printed, framed (frames handcrafted by my amazing sister, the CEO of Horizons, Dr. Julie McNabb) and distributed them to the guests at the end of the night.  A wonderful extra-special touch that will bring them back again next year!

Thank you to EVERYONE who worked so hard on this show.  It was a labor of love - my parents worked super hard on the props for the show - the DJ cover, stretcher, aprons and the structure needed to hang my "hollywood" banner.  My daughter Rochelle Kimball choreographed our death dance and the actors did her proud last night, not missing a step.  And those actors - Ron Altman, Joe Chase, Chris Manson, Missy Rogers, Sally Whitesell and Kay Yarbrough!  You breath life into those "voices in my head" and turn what I hope to be funny, memorable characters into larger than life, hysterical and unforgettable real people. And that's one of the reasons I love writing!  ~~ Paula

WHO DUNNIT... and who SHOWED it?

So excited!  Our Act4Murder Detective will be at Angler's Beachside Grill today sometime between 1 and 3pm to search for cars with our Act4Murder magnet displayed. The first two cars he "detects" will win a $25 Visa Gift Card!  So go out to Angler's and enjoy a delicious lunch on the beach!

Act4Murder has been performing at Angler's since January of 2011 - we were brought in to provide some fun for the Snowbirds, and have been there ever since.  We love the venue, food and staff, and the events have always been fun and memorable.  Thank you to Angler's Beachside Grill for always being on top of it on show night!  We love you guys and hope the place is jumping on this beautiful sunshiny day!  ~ Paula

Showing our Love!

Today was a special day for Act4Murder.  We routinely volunteer for community events, but today we participated in two!  A group of my actors walked in the Harborwalk Village Mardi Gras parade, throwing out beads and lots of good will, and another group of us bowled in the Emerald Coast Exchange Club fundraising event at the Fort Walton Beach Bowling Alley.  It was a really fun day for all of us, we helped raise money for future Emerald Coast Exchange Club projects, and we added to the fun and excitement of the Harborwalk Village event.  Act4Murder is so lucky to be part of this wonderful community!