Thursday, May 13, 2004
Whodunnit?
A pretty busy day yesterday, with a whole bunch of stuff needing doing at work. Didn't quite get it all finished, but certainly put a mighty big dent in it. More to do today, but that's cool.
Last night after work I had a Toastmasters meeting. I actually ran a murder mystery night. I'm not sure what compelled me to volunteer to run one of these in a restraunt, but it was actually pretty hard work.
It wasn't nearly as effective as it could have been, due to ambient noise, restricted space and a few of the cast members being a little lost as to exactly what was happening.
People tended to get into it more as the night went on, and I think everyone enjoyed it, though it certainly wasn't one of the most spectacular meetings that we've held. Nonetheless it was a welcome change and there were a few laughs throughout the night.
If you are ever tempted to run a murder mystery night, or a How to Host a Murder as a club night in a restraunt here's a few tips that I picked up.
Firstly, select your cast very carefully. You want the extroverted people that can think on their feet. People who don't mind making a complete fool of themselves in front of an audience.
Make sure that they've all got big voices.
Make sure they all wear costumes.
Give them all plenty of notice, a good briefing and probably a bit of a practice run before the night.
Warn the restraunt, and ask if they can give you a secluded area/room, and ask them to turn down any ambient music.
Select a single person to read the whodunnit bit. Make sure to give them the solution well in advance, so that they have heaps of time to prepare the speech.
Get somebody to give the intro speech. Those introduction tapes are pretty darn tacky.
It's important to do a summary after each round. Most people forget the details of what happens. Keep notes, or do some research up front, in order to have a succinct summary of what happens. This will probably be a bit of a spoiler for you, but it is important so that the audience stays involved.
Lastly have fun.
The food at the restraunt last night was superb. I'd happily recomment the Smiths Mill restraunt in Glen Forrest if you want a bit of quality food.
The desert was my favourite. Hot berries over Cointreau Icecream...
Yum!!!
Once that had finished, I then had the priviledge of speaking to Jodie for a few hours. She's now a regular feature in my evenings, and talking to her on the phone late at night is the perfect way to end the day. She's so uplifting to talk to, and always manages to bring a broad smile to my face. That smile, somehow just carries over into my next day.
Life is good.
Last night after work I had a Toastmasters meeting. I actually ran a murder mystery night. I'm not sure what compelled me to volunteer to run one of these in a restraunt, but it was actually pretty hard work.
It wasn't nearly as effective as it could have been, due to ambient noise, restricted space and a few of the cast members being a little lost as to exactly what was happening.
People tended to get into it more as the night went on, and I think everyone enjoyed it, though it certainly wasn't one of the most spectacular meetings that we've held. Nonetheless it was a welcome change and there were a few laughs throughout the night.
If you are ever tempted to run a murder mystery night, or a How to Host a Murder as a club night in a restraunt here's a few tips that I picked up.
Firstly, select your cast very carefully. You want the extroverted people that can think on their feet. People who don't mind making a complete fool of themselves in front of an audience.
Make sure that they've all got big voices.
Make sure they all wear costumes.
Give them all plenty of notice, a good briefing and probably a bit of a practice run before the night.
Warn the restraunt, and ask if they can give you a secluded area/room, and ask them to turn down any ambient music.
Select a single person to read the whodunnit bit. Make sure to give them the solution well in advance, so that they have heaps of time to prepare the speech.
Get somebody to give the intro speech. Those introduction tapes are pretty darn tacky.
It's important to do a summary after each round. Most people forget the details of what happens. Keep notes, or do some research up front, in order to have a succinct summary of what happens. This will probably be a bit of a spoiler for you, but it is important so that the audience stays involved.
Lastly have fun.
The food at the restraunt last night was superb. I'd happily recomment the Smiths Mill restraunt in Glen Forrest if you want a bit of quality food.
The desert was my favourite. Hot berries over Cointreau Icecream...
Yum!!!
Once that had finished, I then had the priviledge of speaking to Jodie for a few hours. She's now a regular feature in my evenings, and talking to her on the phone late at night is the perfect way to end the day. She's so uplifting to talk to, and always manages to bring a broad smile to my face. That smile, somehow just carries over into my next day.
Life is good.
# posted by The Puppeteer : 10:07 am
