At the end of September, with October and all its ghosts and ghouls nipping at its heels, the city of Ridgecrest will become an English village in the 18th century, where the locals hear strange noises and see movement among the shadows.  Have the legends they told for centuries come to life?  And have they taken a man’s life as well?  The villagers will hide in the sanctuary of the church, trying to divine the truth of these haunted happenings in Master Mystery Productions’ ninth show, Pauper’s Grave, an interactive Gothic murder mystery that closes Ridge Writers’ fourth annual Weird Weekend.

A fog drapes over the village of Crow’s Killing nestled in the English moors, and shifting shadows play tricks with the eye.  Is someone…or something…digging up the graves of the poor?  The mystery only deepens when, the following morning, the villagers discover a defiled grave, a missing corpse, and the body of the local gravedigger whose heart has been pierced with an arrow.  Hiding in the sanctuary of the church, guests, playing as villagers, will hear local legends about the village’s resident ghosts and ghouls.  Could they be responsible for the murder in Crow’s Killing?  Or is a far more human presence involved?

Pauper’s Grave will reunite the writing team from our fourth production (also part of the Weird Weekend festivities), Hello Out There: Daniel Stallings and C. R. Rowenson.  The smashing, sold-out success of Hello Out There, with its tale of bones in the desert, lost campers, and legendary mines, prompted the duo to team up once more.  This time they take their talents to the moors of England, a place both revered and feared by fiction writers.  A place of fog and shadows.  Of tucked-away villages.  Of sounds and sights that play sinister games with your senses.

When the body of the gravedigger is found near an empty pauper’s grave, suspicions and superstitions start flying.  The arrow in his chest leaves little doubt as to the type of crime.  Audiences will have to work in teams to uncover the secrets of the village and its four most prominent families–the Masons, the Smiths, the Fletchers, and the Carpenters–if they hope to solve the mystery.  And are they brave enough to pass the three Gothic challenges we will set them for important clues?  We shall see…

 

Pauper’s Grave is a highly interactive mystery show where asking questions, searching for evidence, and solving puzzles are the name of the game.  The show will feature light, post-dinner refreshments and prizes for the team that correctly solves the mystery.  And be sure to follow Master Mystery Productions on Facebook to get up-to-date news on all our shows, contests, and behind-the-scenes secrets.

Pauper’s Grave plays Saturday, September 24, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. in the meeting room at Ridgecrest Presbyterian Church.  Tickets are $20 for general admission, $30 for couples.  Tickets will be available at Red Rock Books on September 1st.  Period dress is welcome, but not mandatory.

Come and join us for a night of spooks, secrets, and solving mysteries at…

PAUPER’S GRAVE

We hope to see you there!

–Master Mystery Productions