OUR 2026 BOOKING WINDOW CLOSES ON 12/23/25.
ANY INQUIRIES AFTER 12/23/25 WILL BE FOR 2027.

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Murder Mystery Dinner Theater
Hire R-ACT for your next fundraiser!

You provide the venue and the dinner and we provide the show!

Voila! A dinner theater fundraiser for your church, youth group, humane society, individual, athlete/sports club, or community group. Available in Beaver County, PA and the Greater Pittsburgh areas of Allegheny County, Butler County and Lawrence County.

What a great fundraiser idea!

Email us for more information: 
[email protected]

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2026 Road Show: Murder Under the Big Top

For 2026, we will be premiering Murder Under the Big Top, a circus-themed interactive murder mystery. This production will be available for road show events beginning March 16, 2026.  Booking deadline is December 23, 2025.  Email us immediately to secure a date.

🎪 Synopsis: Murder Under the Big Top
The Schnitzel Brothers Circus has entertained children of all ages for generations, but the last Schnitzel brother has passed on to the Big Top in the sky. He left no will, and unless an heir can be found, the circus’ assets will be seized by the state and sold.  As if that weren’t tragic enough, a murder has been committed on the circus midway. Is this the end of the Most Mediocre Show on Earth?

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Thank you for your interest in R-ACT Theatre Productions’ original Spinnenweber Murder Mysteries. R-ACT offers a specific style of murder mystery performance that may be a great fit for your dinner theater or fundraising event, subject to our availability and your needs.
Each year, we rehearse a murder mystery as part of our regular main stage season at our home theater and then offer road show performances for a limited time following the run.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

💰 What is Your Pricing?

• R-ACT’s fee is $600 per performance, regardless of guest count or type of event.
• Hosts may charge guests any admission price they choose or offer the event for free.
• Historically, our murder mystery road shows are performed as fundraising events. Hosts pay R-ACT the $600 flat fee, provide the venue and dinner, charge for admission, and retain any profits from the event.
• If the event you wish to host isn't a fundraiser, email us and tell us your vision.  We'll let you know if we're a good fit for you.
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🎬 What Does R-ACT Provide?

• R-ACT provides the entertainment for your event in the form of one of our original interactive Spinnenweber Murder Mysteries.
  • The murder mystery is a two-act play with a 15-minute intermission.
  • An interactive interrogation will take place at the end of Act 1 before intermission.
• The complete production, including: Script, Actors, Costumes, Props, Set pieces
• A printable pdf copy of the Suspect Ballots for you to copy.
• R-ACT usually provides our own technical equipment, depending on the venue setup and requirements.
• R-ACT manages load-in, including transporting and setting up all required set pieces and technical equipment.
• We require access to the venue the day before the event for setup and rehearsal.

🏛️ What Do I (the Host) Provide?

• A venue with a stage or open area in front of the audience that can function as a “stage” (it does not need to be elevated). The space must accommodate 8–10 actors.
• If the event is dinner theater the host (you) must provide the dinner in totality:
  • All food and beverages
  • Seating and tables
  • Servers
• Ticketing, if you are charging admission.
• Marketing and promotion, if the event is open to the public or requires advertising.
• Copies of the Suspect Ballots for guests, and writing utensils.
• Gifts or prizes if you want to award anything to the guests who accurately guess the criminal and their motive.

In summary: R-ACT provides the performance of the play itself. All other aspects of the event are managed by the host.
Additional requirements:

• Access to the venue the day before the event for load-in and rehearsal.
• A room or space to function as a backstage/green room for actors to change costumes, store personal items, and wait before and during the performance. (This is flexible depending on the venue.)

🧩 What is the Audience Participation & Role of the Guests?

• Guests are audience members only; they are not characters or suspects.
• The murder mystery is presented in the format of a stage play. Actors do not mingle or mill about the room interacting with the audience.  
• The audience participation portion of the show is strictly during the Interrogation.
• Participation is optional. Guests may:
  • Ask questions during the interrogation
  • Attempt to solve the mystery
  • Or simply watch the play without interacting

🔍 How Does the Interrogation Work?

• During Act 1, a murder or crime occurs.
• One character assumes the role of investigator/interrogator (who may or may not also be a suspect).
• All remaining living characters are suspects.
• Suspects take turns sitting in the “hot seat” during interrogation.
• The interrogator opens the floor to audience questions; guests may raise their hands and ask suspects questions directly.
• After interrogation concludes, there is an intermission.
• During intermission, ballots are distributed so guests can guess who they believe committed the crime.
• Act 2 begins with exonerations and concludes with the reveal of the murderer.

A more detailed description of our format can be found here:
https://www.ractproductions.com/spinnenweber-murder-mysteries.html
Road shows operate exactly the same way as performances at our home theater…just at the venue of your choice.

🎨 Do You Offer Themes or Customizations?  Do I Get to Choose the Murder Mystery?

• We do not offer custom themes or personalization.
• R-ACT has 21 original murder mysteries, but we only offer one per year for road shows. 
• In most cases you will not get to choose the murder mystery.  It will be selected by the executive board and director for the main stage season.  The available road show will be the same show being performed during our regular season.
• A list of synopses for all Spinnenweber Murder Mysteries is available here:
  https://www.ractproductions.com/spinnenweber-murder-mysteries.html 
• For 2026, the featured road show is Murder Under the Big Top, available for road shows beginning March 16, 2026.  Booking Deadline is 12/3/25.

🕒 Sample Event Itinerary
While the overall schedule is determined by the host (you), most events follow a similar structure:

• Load-in & rehearsal:
  • R-ACT requires access to the venue the day before the event.
  • We set up costumes, props, set pieces, and equipment.
  • We then rehearse and adapt blocking to suit the space.
• Dinner theater format:
  • Dinner occurs before the performance.
  • R-ACT does not perform while guests are eating.
  • Hosts select a show start time and plan dinner accordingly.
  • Example:
    • 6:00 PM – Doors open
    • 6:30 PM – Dinner
    • 7:30 PM – Show begins
• Before the show:
  • Actors arrive shortly before dinner and remain in the green room.
  • Actors do not interact with guests prior to the performance.
• Performance timeline (Sample 7:30 PM Show Start):

• START 7:30 PM: Act 1 (45–60 minutes)
  The first act of the play, during which the crime occurs. Not interactive.
• START 8:15 PM / 8:30 PM: Interrogation (minimum 15–20 minutes)
  The investigator questions the suspects and opens the floor to audience questions. Audience participation is optional. If the audience is significantly interactive during interrogation, this portion of the show will run longer.
• START 8:45 PM / 9:00 PM: Intermission (approximately 15 minutes)
  Ballots are distributed and guests decide who they believe committed the crime.
• START 9:00 PM / 9:15 PM: Act 2 (20–30 minutes)
  The innocent are exonerated and the murderer is revealed, concluding the story.
• START 9:30 PM / 9:45 PM — Curtain Call & End of Event
  Curtain call follows Act 2 and marks the end of the event.

📅 Sounds Great!  How Do I Book?
If this sounds like a good fit for you / your group, arrangements should be made immediately. Road shows must be coordinated within our overall season to ensure volunteer availability and avoid conflicts with other R-ACT events.

• Deadline to book a 2026 road show: December 23, 2025
• Please email us to secure a date (do not call).
• Review the provided calendar to check availability and propose event dates.  If a calendar is not yet available, email us to ask about dates.

Before either party commits, we will need:

• Your preferred event date(s)
• The venue location
  • If the venue is unfamiliar to us, a site visit may be necessary to confirm the show will work in the space.

? I Have More Questions!

• If you have any additional questions, don’t hesitate to email us.
• If you prefer to discuss details live, we are happy to arrange a Zoom meeting to walk you through your options.

We look forward to the possibility of entertaining you in 2026!

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LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ORIGINAL INTERACTIVE SPINNENWEBER MURDER MYSTERIES
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