These one-act murder mysteries are both humorous and intriguing, inviting the audience to solve the mystery before the big reveal at the end. When they were first produced, the productions were set in various outdoor locations to enhance the theme of the mystery. The plays can easily be adapted to indoor theatres and require minimal set and props.
Note: Shannon J. Reilly murder mysteries may not be produced within 100 miles of Topeka, Kansas.
It is a cold day when she walks into his office, a femme fatale with a big problem. She needs to find the famous slogan creator Slick Johnson, and only a gumshoe like Detective Sparky could possible find him.
Join us at the infamous speak-easy, the Ad Club, as this film noir spoof finds our fearless detective matching wits with the advertising world in The Case of the Murdered Heel.
Pirate Grey Beard is in trouble. Not only are the British naval war ships closing in on his ship, The Raging Hormone, but he’s also learned someone on his crew is a traitorous British spy. And that’s not even the worst of it. The spy has done the one thing Grey Beard never imagined . . . the spy has killed Grey Beard.
It’s 1866 and all of Prairie Town is ready to celebrate Founder’s Day, a day to thank their benefactor, William Ulysses Brown! The man who practically built the town with money he made from his secret gold mine. But when a shot rings out, Old Man Brown drops dead at the festivities. And no one is shocked to see that the gunman is none other than Dallas Sanders, wealthy son of Old Man Brown’s biggest enemy, Col. Chick Sanders. But is he really the killer?
Mayor Nays and his wife Holland Nays are dedicating a new pocket park downtown, but not everone’s happy about it. Deputy Mayor Phil A. Buster sure isn’t. And neither is Judge Mint! When the local psychic and known crackpot Madame Vail Lifts predicts that death will be the outcome, no one believes her. And when the Nays drop dead together, all eyes turn to Detective Anita Clue to solve the crime.
Get ready to rock and roll as we take you to a taping of the 1960s most popular music program, Dick Stark's American Dance Night. But before the filming begins, Dick grabs his chest and drops dead on the dance floor.
Is it a heart attack or did one of Dick’s many enemies strike a fatal blow? What secrets did Dick know about the all American country singer, Patti Wholewheat?
It’s time to celebrate the new in-coming freshman class at Wattswith U., a charming college. And what better way to welcome this class than with a thrilling pep rally featuring the cheerleaders of the Fighting Pink Possums? That is until the Pink Possum mascot drops to the ground. And when they remove the head they don’t find the sole male cheerleader, Chick Magnet, inside. Instead they find their dean, Dean Martin . . . and he’s dead!
Shannon J. Reilly
785.438.9290
shannon@shannonjreilly.com
What a wonderful production—Morbid Curiosity!
