Grab your legwarmers and tease your hair as close to Heaven as you can. Throw on some Madonna, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Belinda Carlisle, and Whitney Houston. Because Master Mystery Productions is back for a totally killer and bitchin’ glow-in-the-dark murder mystery party in 2022! The 80’s are BACK as we transform a music store into neon, new wave nightclub in the heart of Hollywood. Will Heaven be a place on Earth? Well, first, we need actors to revive this radical decade for our latest production! Join us for…

Closer to Heaven

AUDITIONS

Friday and Saturday,
February 25 and 26, 2022
4 to 6 p.m. at Red Rock Books
206 W. Ridgecrest Blvd.

Closer to Heaven brings together music, theatre, games, and more in a glow-in-the-dark “Moonlight Madness” party that will resurrect our favorite 1980’s icons, references, and even a few tropes as a mysterious murderer stalks the “angels” at a Hollywood hotspot. With our new partner, Moe’s Music, we’re aiming for high style and high camp with colorful costumes, big hair, and super cool SFX makeup the likes of which we haven’t done before. Closer to Heaven is called a party for a reason, and we intend to keep the atmosphere full of music, dancing, bright colors, and lots of drama. After all, we can’t do an 80’s show without a little drama. A nightclub mystery without shady secrets, shocking twists, and characters straight out of this decadent decade? As if! We’ll have Valley Girls and Madonna Wannabes and “Greed Is Good” Investors and Miami Vice Devotees to spare!

Closer to Heaven currently has eight roles to fill.

Actors need to be age 15 and older to audition. Those under 18 will need a parent/guardian signature on a permission slip AND a parent/guardian MUST attend any and all rehearsals their child attends. Actors under 18 require a parent/guardian at the show dates.

The show dates are Friday, May 13, Saturday, May 14, and Sunday, May 15 at Moe’s Music.

During auditions, everyone will fill out an audition form which will ask for basics such as name, email, experience, availability, etc. These are just basics to give us an understanding on who the performer is as well as contact information. Then we pair up performers for cold readings of selected scenes from the original script by Daniel Stallings. Rehearsal schedule will be finalized after auditions based on actor availability. After auditions, casting emails will be sent out to everyone who auditioned for the show.

If you are unable to attend the posted audition dates, but are still interested in trying out, message us on Facebook or email us at mastermysteryproductions@hotmail.com to schedule an outside audition.

SYNOPSIS

Picture it: The summer of 1986. A totally killer new nightclub has opened in the City of Angels. Dawn Schuyler helms Closer to Heaven, a neon, new wave night spot staffed with her own specially selected “angels” to be both the amped-up heart of L.A. nightlife and a safe haven for the women in her employ. But her heaven on Earth may not be so safe anymore. Left scarred by her encounter with the Half Moon Killer, a Los Angeles serial killer known for carving a waning crescent moon on his victims’ faces, Dawn knows her unlikely survival marks her as “the one who got away.” And the Half Moon Killer doesn’t like to leave projects unfinished. Undeterred by the threat and determined to protect her haven, Dawn hosts a “Moonlight Madness” glow-in-the-dark party to coax the killer out of hiding and end his reign of terror. Dawn is ready to face down a monster with a human face and be the ultimate final girl. But is she prepared for any of her angels to fall? It’ll be a neon night of radical risks, legit lunacies, and totally righteous revelations while guests try to find the murderous M.O. at Dawn’s “Moonlight Madness” party. Will Dawn bow to the pressure? As if.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

DAWN SCHUYLER — Part-owner/proprietor of the Closer to Heaven nightclub, Dawn is a shrewd, practical businesswoman behind the new wave fashion. Her goal was to build a haven for the lost, the lonely, the outcast in a world of color and light and music. She is known to give her employees stock in the nightclub to earn from the club’s profits as co-owners in addition to their pay. She’s famously “The One Who Got Away” from the serial murderer, the Half-Moon Killer, an encounter which left a crescent moon scar on her cheek.

STELLA SPENCER — Starry-eyed wannabe starlet who moved from Big Sky country to the smog-choked skylines of Los Angeles to try and find her fortunes on the silver screen. She’s the newest hire at Closer to Heaven to make enough money to survive between casting calls. A sprinkle of preppy and Princess Diana fashion sense keeps this fish firmly out of the water.

ERIN ROCHESTER — A celebrity body double paid to appear as Madonna whenever the need calls for it, such as to drum up business at Closer to Heaven by making patrons believe celebrities party there. One of the investor’s little insertions to Dawn’s haven, Dawn nonetheless welcomes Erin once she learns the woman’s painful past.

CRYSTAL CUNNINGHAM — She’s like totally a Valley Girl with a passion for fashion and slashin’. The number of slasher horror flicks she’s seen is bigger than the number of teens who bite it at a cursed summer camp. Like omigod, if Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, and Jason Voorhees started a bitchin’ new band, she’d totally be first in line for all their concerts and the president of their fan club.

HALLIE SHEPPARD — An aerobics instructor and fitness model by day, a spokes-shill for the terrifingly, unnaturally neon-colored energy drink known as Roidorade by night. Peppy, zippy, and always on the move, Hallie is an overcaffeinated lightning storm of a woman whose big, bright smile belies a “take no prisoners” jackhammer of a personality. She a fervent disciple of the Book of Jane Fonda: “No pain, no gain.”

LUCAS (LUCIA) CARRINGTON — The yuppie poster child of the Greed Is Good ethics of the 80’s and a major investor in the Closer to Heaven nightclub. Not a fan of Dawn’s personal philosophies regarding the club and has been stealthily trying to slither into power by trying to buy Dawn out, inserting unwelcome ideas and staff into the mix, and cold-bloodedly stooping to more dangerous tactics to gain control.

ANGEL ARCHER — Miami Vice devotee and Sonny Crockett superfan, Angel has a penchant for pastels and pricey, flashy accessories, hoping to land a major TV contract himself one day. Behind the flashy exterior, he’s actually a classically trained Shakespearean actor who would rather trade in his doublet onstage for double the salary he’d get in network television. Hired as a bouncer at the Closer to Heaven nightclub.

GABRIEL BAKER — An aspiring SFX makeup artist who loves to bring his work everywhere with him. Literally. He loves to wear his horror makeups—from cuts and bruises to zombie flesh to full werewolf face—to nightclubs as a kind of litmus test of how scary, effective, and realistic his work is. Works as a bouncer at the Closer to Heaven nightclub because his often-frightening makeups are pretty effective at warding off troublemakers. He’s hoping his fake scars and bruises will distract from other…telltale ones he might have.

Closer to Heaven will combine all the things we love about a Master Mystery Production–interactive storylines, kooky characters, and amazing technical work from lights to costumes to hair to makeup–with a brand new decade to explore and a new venue to play in. What more could we want? Maybe actors and crew members to help us bring this awesome show to life. Join us at auditions and let the fun begin!

We welcome anyone and everyone who is interested to audition. No theatrical experience is necessary. We are always happy to take and develop new talent all the time. This will be a show where you can really get to play and go wild. If you have questions or concerns, email us at mastermysteryproductions@hotmail.com or message Master Mystery Productions of Facebook.

We will see you at auditions!

–Master Mystery Productions