‘The Murder Room’ director’s cut
The Murder Room,” a ‘whodunit’ dinner theater comedy, opens in the University of Indianapolis Schwitzer Student Center dining hall on Apr. 16-18 and Apr. 22-23 at 6:45 p.m. The production combines both mystery and farce allowing for a fun-filled night of dinner and comedic entertainment.
“Agatha Christie meets Monty Python meets Abbott and Costello,” director Brad Wright said about “The Murder Room.”
In this vain, the director, Brad Wright, and student director, senior Britany Frymier, presently work to create an enjoyable show. In rehearsal, they have a few over arching goals, such as actor cooperation and growth.
“Comedies allow me to teach the students about timing and ensemble work,” Wright said. “They must really listen to each other and play off each other.”
The cast also seeks to develop their individual characters in a comedic manner during the rehearsal process.
“The directors and actors focus primarily on the reality of their characters and their relationships. Then we can take things to the extremes of the comedy,” Wright said.
However, rehearsals are not only devoted to actor coaching. Much time is also spent working on the British dialect.
“Because the play is set in the Yorkshire Dales region of England… it’s a great challenge for our students to add another dialect to their repertoire,” Wright said.
“The Murder Room” also has the challenge of having performances in the dining hall. Because the production is not held in a traditional theater venue, directors, designers and crew must adapt to the space.
“First, there is simply not as much space in the dining hall as a typical theater,” Frymier said.
In addition to less space, the acoustics in the dining hall are vastly different from a theater’s. Therefore, actor projection and enunciation are even more crucial for this production.
Finally, the dining hall must be transformed to accommodate the set, lights,and sound for the production of “The Murder Room.” This challenge involves making alterations to typical or simpler lighting designs for example.
Nevertheless, Wright is confident with producing a successful show because of help from his assistant director, Frymier.
“Britany Frymier is another set of eyes that will be very helpful during the technical rehearsal period when we’re looking at not only the acting but also lights, set, props and costumes,” Wright said.
While “The Murder Room” has its fair share of difficulties, the directors welcome the challenge whole-heartedly.
“We chose this show because it’s an enjoyable comedy. We look forward to the response of the audience,” Frymier says.
Tickets are $10 and dinner is $12. Also there will be a student rush for students to get into the performance for free.
