Another Great New Act4 Venue in Destin, Florida

Thursday night, we had the pleasure of performing our first Act4Murder show at La Paz restaurant in Destin. Chatham Morgan and his staff were spot on, everything ran smoothly and on schedule, and the audience enjoyed our Fab '50s show Bebopped at the Sock Hop.

The cast--Missy Rogers, Mary Ann Troiano, Ken Olson, Heidi Best-Swift, Karen Monroe and myself--was amazing as always. I especially enjoy the new "twist" I added to my character, the washed up jazzbo DJ Barry Contrary--all the music is on good ol' vinyl. The food was great, too, and we can't wait to go back there.

Thanks again, everyone. Best Throwback Thursday ever!

Our New Performance Location in Destin Is to DIE For!

Last night, Act4Murder had its first-ever performance at The Dinner Table (or The Breakfast Table, as it's known weekday mornings and early afternoons) in Destin. Usually when we go into a new location, there are some expected bugs, foul-ups and general confusion. But this place? None, whatsoever! My only gripe is that we didn't start performing here sooner.

The show we did, A Vacation to Die For, was well-received by an audience of locals (including one nice couple that literally lived right across the street) and visitors. The audience participation was at an all-time high, and our fake musical duo, the Wonky-Wunkus Mariachi Mystique, actually had six bucks in the tip jar at the end of the show. (We gave it to Kay Yarbrough, who lives in Pensacola, for gas money.)

We've been doing this show a lot for the past five or six years with the same cast (me, Kay, Jim Downum, Mary Ann Troiano and Cynthia Bergquist), with only a few occasions of other Act4 actors stepping in as understudies. It's hard to keep this particular production fresh, but thanks to the great audience and restaurant staff, A Vacation to Die For has been seriously revitalized. (Keep in mind, the last time we did the show was for a private group of mostly teenagers, and we were interrupted constantly by passing trains outside...)

Anyway, looking forward to going back to The Dinner Table Thursday, Oct. 22, with our brand new pirate show. If you missed last night, you need to come to this one. If you came last night, you already know you want to go back.

Did I mention the food was delicious?

- Chris

A KILLER Night in Crestview!

Giant SHOUT OUT to Crestview! First time EVER, in 13 years, every person with a reservation showed up for the show.  And I'm not talking about a handful of people.  We had 106 folks with reservations, and 108 attend, KILLER IN THE KITCHEN Saturday night at Samuel's Roadhouse.  When my daughter and I were laboring over the tables - trying to figure out exactly HOW to seat all those people in their private room, I told the owner it was doubtful they'd all show up… I mean, it's never happened. What were the chances?  Boy was I wrong!

It took us almost 2 hours to get those tables placed and adequate seating for everyone.  And fortunately, when two extra folks showed up, we were able to move one more table into the room and put it at the end of the row.  I won't lie - it was a bit cramped - but everyone seemed to have a good time.

Yes, it was a great night and a fun show.  The food is always wonderful at Samuel's, and the servers are a joy to work with.  Add great guests who were there for a good time, and I couldn't possibly ask for anything more.

Well, except maybe the margaritas their fabulous bartender Doyle made for the two of us when the guests were all seated and we could breathe again.  Delicious! He told me they make their own sour mix, which is one reason they're so good.  I highly recommend a visit to Samuel's to try their food AND their margaritas.  And then come see us again in October - but make your reservations early, because that SOLD OUT sign is going out a little earlier next time.  ~~ Paula

Behind the curtain

There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes of an Act4Murder show before the curtain goes up. We don't actually have a curtain since we perform in restaurants around the tables, but you get what I mean. There's a lot that has to happen. I was thinking about that last night after I got home from a very big show at Joey's Italian Grill in Niceville.

I started working on getting last night's show ready at 9:00 AM., and finished at 3:30 PM. What was I doing? Figuring out how to seat 100 people at a set number of tables and booths, getting our V.I.P. packages in order, printing handouts, creating a schedule, gathering up prizes, and making sure we had all the goodies for the tables ready to go.

Once there, my immediate task is always to get the tables configured for the guests. Yesterday was particular difficult because I had something like 20 couples, ten or so medium-sized groups of four, five and six, and three large groups of eight and ten.  It took about an hour to get all the names assigned to tables and make sure no one was accidentally left out.

And as I was working on that, some of the actresses showed up early to help set the tables with handouts, table signs, centerpieces, pens and beads. All the stuff we put out to compliment the theme of the show. And Chris, Act4Murder Ninja, worked on setting up the music booth and music, and getting props and any other show needs in place. When that was done, the actors rehearsed the "death dance," figured out their blocking, and then settled back into the green room to run lines and finish their makeup and hair.

That's just MY side of. Imagine the restaurant! When the guests start arriving, the staff immediately takes their drink and entree orders, delivers the drinks, takes care of any special requests, and deals with any seating or venue issues. Can you imagine what's happening in the kitchen?  They have 100 entrees to get out in about a 20 minute period of time, a detailed Murder Mystery Night Schedule to follow, and the normal dinner crowd in the other room that want their food now!

Honestly, when the show finally DOES start, that's when everyone can relax and have fun. And they did have fun last night! The show, A CONDO TO KILL FOR, is a humorous look at a Timeshare Presentation from HELL! Lots of laughs in this one - you can imagine with 100 people in the room what that sounds like.

100 people! This was our biggest public show all year, thanks in part to Christopher Cartenuto and the staff at Joey's. They did an amazing job of promoting the show - keeping brochures on the tables, talking it up to guests, putting it in their newsletter, and promoting on social media. This is exactly what's needed when two businesses merge for one event - I wish all of our venues were as cooperative about advertising as Joey's. Because between their efforts and ours, we had a fabulous turnout and a great night!

Thanks, Niceville, for your support - hope to see you all again next time around!   ~~ Paula

The Show MUST Go On!!

What a crazy few days Act4Murder has had! We had a private lunchtime show scheduled for Saturday for a group of 45 Senior V.I.P.'s coming in from Tallahassee. They'd requested BEBOPPED AT THE SOCK HOP which we rehearsed Friday night and were ready to roll with. Then one of my actors in the show ended up in the ER with a GIANT kidney stone and couldn't perform. Another actor dived in putting together an Elvis costume, picking up the script, and showing up ready to perform with only a few hours preparation.  Did he nail it? Was he convincing? YES! Kudos to Joe Chase for saving the day! And my kidney-stone actor will be back in commission very soon.  They say the show must go on… and it did!  ~~ Paula

Redneck V.I.P.'s

JUNE 18, 2015 UPDATE - Our show at Angler's Thursday night was awesome! The cast of REDNECK RIVALRY (Chris Manson, David Smith, Kristi Morris, Karen Monroe and Sally Whitesell) outdid themselves, and the audience loved every minute of it.  I was particularly excited about this show, because for years now guests have been asking me if they can buy any Act4Murder merchandise, and Thursday was the first time I had some to sell! I put into place "V.I.P." packages available for purchase by our guests. By selecting "Eyewitness," "Expert Eyewitness" or one of the "Celebration" packages, you'll purchase an "Act4Murder Eyewitness" T-Shirt, mug or notepad (with balloons for the "Celebration" selections) - all high quality items and a fun

souvenir of your night out with us. Thursday night I had five V.I.P.'s in the audience, and they loved their T-Shirts! Check out our instagram photos on the front page of our website to see for yourself!  V.I.P. packages are available from our reservation page on the website, and watch for the "Romance" package coming soon. Thanks again REDNECKS - great show, as always! ~~ Paula

Our Mysterious Schedule!

Summer has arrived! 2015 is the 6th year we've been able to perform weekly for the tourists, and we worked as hard as ever to get our shows ready and the schedule solidified. The spring is so busy for us - getting a new show up, bringing back old ones, giving them facelifts, recasting, rehearsing… then from June on it's nothing but performances! Unfortunately, though, this year circumstances changed, and we're now in the process of selecting a new venue in the Destin area -  we hope to be set by the beginning of July. In the meantime, Okaloosa Island is only a few miles away, so hop in that car and come see us at Angler's Beachside Grill! We have select Thursday night shows going on this month through August. Hope to see you - this week June 18 - for REDNECK RIVALRY, a murderous look at …. well, redneck rivalry.  :)  ~~ Paula