HAPPY 2023!

Happy New Year! And we at Master Mystery Productions aim to have a very happy (and theatrical) 2023! But this season is going to be even more special as we’ve decided to theme the entire season around a single concept. This year’s theme is going to be TRANSPORTATION. The way we make our journeys around the world will serve as the dynamic settings for multiple mystery adventures across the year. Whether by foot, by air, by sea, by car, or by train, MMP has got you covered in all new stories guaranteed to keep you guessing. Ready to journey with us? Then let’s see what the year has in store for us!

MUM’S THE WORD 2023 REVIVAL

A revival of one of our hits from 2021, an entire digital radio mystery drama inspired by Sherlock Holmes radio serials, Mum’s the Word: The Last Adventure of Basil Bremerton will be held as a special private party on January 2, 2023. While the performance is not open to the public, we wanted to share the news of this exciting revival of one of our favorite MMP stories featuring an all-star cast led by the incomparable Hall of Fame Artist Calvin Johnson in one of his greatest, award-winning roles as the eccentric Basil Bremerton hot on the trail of a missing schoolgirl in England. We are delighted to be able to bring back Basil for another performance. Who knows? He may return later this year as well…

THE SKY’S THE LIMIT

Flying high above the Atlantic Ocean, the fantastical airship, Vesper, sails the skies with two reporters embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. Charlotte Collins and her rival wordsmith Louisa Cahill have both been sponsored by their newspapers to try and beat the Jules Verne Standard by circling around the world in less than eighty days. The accolades that awaits the woman who beats the record (and outraces her rival) will be legion. But just when the race is at its fiercest and both Charlotte and Louisa miss a critical travel connection, the two ladies independently accept the help of the quirky Sir Hugo Featherton for a ride in his self-designed steampunk airship across the Atlantic. However, not long after take-off, the veteran reporters sense something amiss. Why does Sir Hugo know so much about their travels and itineraries? Why is the ship they were supposed to take still in the harbor? Why won’t their editors respond to their urgent questions? Charlotte and Louisa will have to join forces and unite their individual talents to tackle a mystery in the clouds with big secrets, big money, and bigger risks. The sky’s the limit when it comes to what people are capable of, but our intrepid leading ladies will discover just how far some are willing to go to keep their secrets locked up tight.

The Sky’s the Limit is a touring production commissioned by The Red Hat Ladies of Bakersfield as a special steampunk-themed event, but will open for one weekend only at Moe’s Music in Ridgecrest for April 28 and 29, 2023. An intimate, family-friendly adventure in a fantastical steampunk setting, the show will also be a crown jewel as it will award the 60th Diamond Mask Award–The Diamond Diamond Mask–to one of the actors. Auditions will be January 27 and 28, 2023 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Red Rock Books. Actors who are interested who can’t attend the audition dates can book an outside audition with Master Mystery Productions. Ready to soar the skies with these sleuths?

UNCHARTED SEAS

“When we last saw our heroes: They were bravely facing the unnamed terrors of the Uncharted Seas, searching for the wreck of the world’s richest lost ship, The Midas….” You are a member of the crew searching for a legendary lost ship bearing gold and riches unparalleled. Your leader is the fearless explorer, Savannah James, who is diving deep into the treacherous waters of the Uncharted Seas to search for the wreck. She may face dangers like seas monsters, whirlpools, booby traps, and rival explorers, and she needs your quick thinking and sharp eyes to navigate the unnavigable. Armed with a map, a passport, and a compass, you will have to help Savannah find the Midas and recover its treasure before the disaster strikes. Can you help her escape an underwater cave-in? Will your wits help her find the weakness in a rampaging Kraken? But watch out for those cliffhangers! You’ll explore the venue for clues, radio transmissions from Savannah, and more to try and keep your leader safe. The person who finds the Midas claims the lion’s share. Will YOU be the savviest explorer of them all? Tune in to Uncharted Seas for more of this thrilling treasure hunt…

Uncharted Seas will be a single day multimedia interactive treasure hunt styled after the 1930’s adventure serials with daring cliffhangers and larger-than-life explorers. Audio transmissions, maps, riddles, and clues will form the basis of your treasure hunt as you explore our venue, the ever lovely Red Rock Books, to try and find the information you need to keep Savannah safe and move one fathom closer to the treasure. We will be holding a casting call on Saturday, May 6, 2023 for any people who wish to either lend their voice to a character in recorded transmissions or work the event as member of the crew. Uncharted Seas performs Saturday, July 1st at 7:30 p.m. at Red Rock Books for one night only! Ready to dive into this mystery?

TOURIST TRAP

The Morgensterns are lost. Lost in the desert with their packed VW van. Not exactly where you want to be while on your vacation to Death Valley. This family of five have come to a local bookstore to find “a less defective map,” but are soon beleaguered by car trouble that strands them there. But while trying to negotiate the fog of Yellow Page listings for a mechanic, crazy concerns are raised about “a special bit of luggage” they brought with them. Trying to move this special package around the store to avoid unwanted eyes proves to be a hilarious Herculean effort that might pop the seams of the façades our socked-and-sandalled family have put on. Just who are these bickering, laughable tourists? What really lies beneath the souvenir shades and loud Hawaiian prints? The Morgensterns don’t want anyone sticking their sunscreened noses into their business, and they aren’t afraid to resort to their own kind of tourist trap to keep their secrets safe. Celebrating the 90th anniversary of President Herbert Hoover officially declaring Death Valley a National Monument in 1933, Tourist Trap is a madcap road trip mystery where you get to try and uncover the answer of what the Morgensterns really got as a souvenir for this vacation.

Tourist Trap will be a comedy celebrating the 90th anniversary of President Herbert Hoover officially declaring Death Valley a National Monument in 1933, which makes it perfect for our eighth collaboration with Ridge Writers’ Weird Weekend. Our first time doing Weird Weekend at Red Rock Books, the show is also going to flip the mystery genre on its head with a new question to answer: Can you solve a whoisit instead of a whodunit? Ah, but more on that later. Auditions will be May 12 and 13, 2023 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Red Rock Books with performances on August 4 and 5, 2023 at 7:30 p.m. at Red Rocks Books. Ready for the craziest road trip yet?

HOW TO SOLVE A MURDER

All aboard! During the Roaring Twenties, a train speeding across the English landscape was the preferred way to travel for the rich, famous…and infamous. Hampton-upon-Blythe is just like any other sleepy little English town. With perhaps one exception…In the past few months, it has had two murders! Add to that the grisly murder of Dr. Rutherford in the nearby town of Beddington, and Archibald Reeves’ armchair sleuthing senses are certainly piqued! Reeves fervently believes that these sorts of crimes can be solved quite easily if you just use your mind. As he often proclaims, the mind is a wonderful tool, and deduction itself is more powerful than a steam locomotive. Of course, a few uncovered clues and stashed dead bodies aren’t too bad on the investigation either. So how does the self-proclaimed mental mastermind try to solve a murder?

Station 1: Book two tickets aboard the 2:30 to Beddington, the scene of the crime;

Station 2: Take your gentleman’s gentleman with you because he’s swell at getting you out of binds;

Station 3: Question everyone who may have seen or heard anything about the recently expired doctor;

Station 4: Be completely oblivious to all the dark secrets, hidden character traits, white collar crimes, and outright lies that are all around you…

Join Reeves and Brewster and a whole train full of suspects as they try to follow the tracks that lead to a murderer without getting into a bit of a bother themselves. There’ll be mistaken identities, eavesdropping, shocking twists, and animated antics that will keep you guessing (and laughing) throughout the whole journey. Right ho! All aboard! Let’s solve a murder or two! And try not to trip over any bodies that might be in our path…

Closing out our 2023 season will be How to Solve a Murder, a delightful comedy written by MMP Hall of Fame Artist Janis Kunz in her playwriting debut. A bright, bubbly work inspired by P. G. Wodehouse’s “Jeeves” stories, the production will be a light, humorous mystery of manners on a speeding train stuffed with charming gags, spoofs, and riffs that showcase Janis as a skilled dramatist. Daniel Stallings will serve as the show’s director. Auditions will be August 25 and 26, 2023 with performances November 10, 11, 17, and 18 at 7:30 p.m. at Moe’s Music. This production will close out MMP’s 2023 season. Ready to jump on a train to a great adventure?

Whether by land, sea, or sky, 2023 will keep us moving forward and give us lots of opportunities to share our unique brand of theatrical imagination with guests. Every story is year will be an adventure, and we are so delighted to share the journey with you. Let’s get this year moving! Happy sleuthing!

–Master Mystery Productions