By Guilianna Laurain
Lights, camera, murder. The College Theatre Association (CTA) brought drama, suspense and laughter to life with their latest production, ‘Final Cut: An Interactive Murder Mystery.’ Set in the glitz and glamour of 1950s Hollywood, the immersive experience had attendees play detectives while enjoying an evening of fine dining and theatrical thrills.
In the production’s plot, Director Eddie Cheek is looking for investors to fund his next cinematic masterpiece, ‘The Zombie Was An Alien.’ Guests were invited as potential backers, promised a role in the film as an incentive, only to find themselves caught in a web of deceit, deception and ultimately a murder. Throughout the evening, guests gathered clues, eavesdropped on suspicious conversations and pieced together motives all leading up to the climactic reveal of the culprit. Reg Sutphen is the visionary behind the event.
“This was actually the first show I auditioned for in my junior year of high school. I didn’t get in, but I still went to the show and it blew me away. I proposed this to the CTA as a way to get us to do something outside of the box and challenge ourselves with a difficult event to plan,” Sutphen said.
From the outset, the production took creative liberties setting the scene with a minimalist approach to allow for maximum audience participation.
“The script gave us a lot of creative freedom with the setting, but since it is movie-themed we went with 1950s Hollywood for costumes,” Sutphen said. “We wanted to keep things light set-wise so that people would have a chance to move around and actors would have more space to play.”
One of the most thrilling aspects of the event was the unpredictability of the interactions. With improvisation at the heart of the show, actors thought on their feet and responded dynamically to guests’ questions and suspicions.
“The most exciting part was seeing the actors grow and develop skills they were unsure about at first,” Sutphen said. “I knew that they could pull it off, but seeing them do it in real time just filled my heart with joy.”
Of course, the ultimate question loomed over the night: Who was the murderer? Sutphen couldn’t contain their excitement when discussing the big reveal.
“I was so excited to see what people thought about the ending scene where the killer is revealed! It’s so exciting and caught a lot of people by surprise.”
Actors underwent extensive preparation, including improv workshops and character development exercises to bring characters to life.
“We first worked on their improvisation skills. That was something I focused a lot on since that is the bulk of the show,” Sutphen said. “We would play a series of improv games to strengthen their skills, and some of the games would be character development related. I also gave everyone character development sheets in order to have everyone get creative with their characters, and met with each cast member one on one to discuss their motives, their interactions with others and whatever else they needed to go over.”
This ambitious production was the first of its kind for the CTA.
“The College Theatre Association puts on at least three productions every academic year, so we’re used to putting on theatrical productions constantly. We also do regular improv workshops.” Sutphen said. “However, putting it all together in one show alongside a dinner aspect is not something I have seen in my time here.
With enthusiastic participation, the success of Final Cut has left the door open for future interactive experiences.
“Based on the turnout and the ratings from the audience, I would love to put on more events like this!” Sutphen said. “It is a great way to get the community together, get people involved, and show that theatre can be more than sitting and watching a show. Sometimes, you can be part of it, too!”
