Master Mystery Productions creates a series of awards to honor excellence in production, performance, writing, and service.  We extend our endless gratitude by honoring our many award winners–past and present.  We present them after curtain call on closing night.  Under each award is a description of it and a list of our winners.  Congratulations, everyone, on your fantastic achievements for Master Mystery Productions!

THE AWARDS OF MASTER MYSTERY PRODUCTIONS

The Skeleton Key Award for Service Above and Beyond was first created in 2015 during the production of our second show, Goodbye Hollywood.  It is presented by a show’s director to individuals involved in bringing the production to life.  These individuals have shown tremendous work ethic, have dedicated his or herself to the show, and have served beyond the call of duty to bring the mystery to the stage.  Each Skeleton Key is designed by the Founder of Master Mystery Productions to be unique to each production, reflecting the story’s individual themes.  It is a show’s highest honor, and winners are forever honored in future souvenir programs and on our website for Master Mystery Productions.

Not every Master Mystery Production has a Skeleton Key.  Some shows are too small or private. Sometimes we don’t have a candidate.  So those honored with the Skeleton Key Award set a high bar for everyone who works at MMP, and it is their inspiring work which pushes us to create better and better mysteries.

FUN FACTS

 The Skeleton Key was retroactively awarded to Jeannie Johnson for 2013’s Murder at the Red Fez, which had been honored with the title of the first Master Mystery Production in 2015.  She received her award at the closing night of our second show, Goodbye Hollywood.

 Bury Me in Paris in 2017 broke tradition by presenting three candidates for the Skeleton Key.  All three deserved the award equally, so Master Mystery Productions awarded three Keys at the closing night of the show.

Exit Prima Donna was a unique situation.  A first Skeleton Key was awarded not long after auditions to an individual who had went above and beyond in the creation and booking of the show, but sadly moved before she could be a part of the production process.  A second Key was awarded to a member of the production team per tradition.

Close Encounters of the Hairy Kind marks the first production where an outside director selected the winners. Monica Dwyer selected two champions for her production.

OUR WINNERS ARE:

Jeannie Johnson — Murder at the Red Fez

Brianne Hardwick — Goodbye Hollywood

Lena Pokol — Goodbye Hollywood: At the Rainbow’s End

Donna Rosenthal — Hello Out There

Margit Stallings — Hero

Calvin Johnson — Ex Luna

Monica Dwyer — The Last Garden Party

Julie Bradford — Pauper’s Grave

Dan McGuire — Murder at the Broken Heart Mine

Katie Cozine, Darren Hoyt, & Heather McGaha — Bury Me in Paris

Nicole Johnson — Ode to Agatha

Leslie Blake — Anonymous

Devanne Fredette — The Silent City

Michelle Stallings — Femme Fatales

Chautona Havig — The Last Chapter

Celese Kendrick & Beth Sparks-Jacques — Exit Prima Donna

Olivia Holm — What Happens at Sundown

Michael Stallings — Mutiny on the Sea Witch

Janis Kunz — Eat Cake

Tiffany Cheney — Foul Play

Steven Dwyer & Mark Zanardo — Close Encounters of the Hairy Kind

Sam Johnson — Lenore Nevermore

Davis Kunz — Woman in the Walls

Devanne Fredette — Regions Beyond

Lora Robertson — Mum’s the Word

Martin Murphy — Who’s Who?

Heather McGaha — Closer to Heaven

Jennifer Crittenden — Unlucky Seven

Sebastian Lorenz — Close Encounters of the Hairy Kind 2022 Revival

Cat Kreidt & Ed Kramer — Tête-à-Tête

Rachael West — The Sky’s the Limit

Libby Mitchell — Tourist Trap

Tori Mitchell — How to Solve a Murder

Vincent Allen & Journey Curran — Shelf Life

Elise Bechtel — Murder at the Red Fez 2025 Revival

Callie Bennett & Janis Kunz — Malice in Wonderland

Michelle Stallings — Visions of Sugarplums

The Diamond Mask Award for Excellence in Performance was created in early 2017 during the production of our twelfth show, Bury Me in Paris.  It is awarded by audiences to the actors they believe had the strongest performances during a show.  Audiences vote on their favorite performances, and the winners are awarded on closing night.  Actors can win the Diamond Mask multiple times, and it is a recognition of their talent and artistry to their roles in a show.

Actors honored with the Diamond Mask receive the symbol of a diamond on their head shot in any souvenir programs for shows they work on in the future.  The number of diamonds indicate the number of times they’ve won.

FUN FACTS

The Diamond Mask was created after Master Mystery Productions received such overwhelming and unanimous praise of Celese Kendrick’s performance as Mia Mallowan in our eighth show, The Last Garden Party, in 2016.  We realized the time had come to honor the performances of our talented actors and created the Diamond Mask Award.  Celese was honored with her Diamond Mask at the curtain call for our fourteenth show, Anonymous, in 2017.

 Bury Me in Paris was originally only supposed to have two Diamond Mask winners, but the audience voting was such that three winners were crowned on closing night.

Anonymous ended with a tie in voting, so two Diamond Masks were awarded.

Exit Prima Donna‘s cast and performances were of such a high caliber that there ended up being multiple ties and four Diamond Masks were awarded.

Woman in the Walls is the first and only show where the cast and crew of the production voted for the Diamond Mask winners, due to the show having been postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Actors were not allowed to vote for themselves on their ballots.

Close Encounters of the Hairy Kind 2022 Revival featured a tie in votes, so a record FIVE Diamond Masks were awarded on closing night. This happened again in 2025 at the premiere viewing of Visions of Sugarplums.

The highest number of Diamond Mask Award votes ever received for a single performer was 101 votes, earned by Wyatt Pate for playing King Arthur in Shelf Life in November 2024.

OUR WINNERS ARE:

Celese Kendrick (Mia Mallowan, The Last Garden Party; Krista Erikson/Angelica Hughes, Regions Beyond in “The Opera Ghost”)

Cat Kreidt (“Massimo” D’Amato, Bury Me in Paris; Madam, What Happens at Sundown; Dahlia Rosewood, Foul Play; Genevieve Welbourne, Tête-à-Tête; Diamond LaPore, Murder at the Red Fez 2025 Revival)

Katie Cozine (Flora Westcott, Bury Me in Paris)

Monica Dwyer (Wilhelmina Blake, Bury Me in Paris; Simone Davenport, Ode to Agatha; Madame la Comtesse, Eat Cake)

Nicole Johnson (Miriam Lancaster, Ode to Agatha; Leonora, Exit Prima Donna; Big Red, Close Encounters of the Hairy Kind; Big Red, Close Encounters of the Hairy Kind 2022 Revival; Della Reeves, Tourist Trap)

Matthew Bradford (Agent Race, Anonymous)

Sam Johnson (Agent Sly, Anonymous; Auguste Dupin, Lenore Nevermore)

Challice Neipp (Dorothy Parker, The Last Chapter)

Heather McGaha (Donatella Violetta, Exit Prima Donna; Brigitte the Bawd, Eat Cake; Erin Rochester, Closer to Heaven; Madeline Conrad, Close Encounters of the Hairy Kind 2022 Revival)

James Aguirre (Giuseppe Rodolfo, Exit Prima Donna)

Rah Herrington (Leonardo, Exit Prima Donna; Vera McGregor, Famous Last Words)

Brianne Hardwick (Brooke Simon, Famous Last Words)

Leslie Blake (Kim Hyatt, What Happens at Sundown; Witness the Fourth, Unlucky Seven; Susan Delafontaine, Visions of Sugarplums)

Ash Witherell (Victoria Camden, What Happens at Sundown; Lady Chantilly, Eat Cake; Helen Marshall, Mum’s the Word)

Devanne Fredette (Cutlass Kate, Mutiny on the Sea Witch; Nora Littleton, How to Solve a Murder; Velma Sloane, Murder at the Red Fez 2025 Revival; Nina Shetland, Visions of Sugarplums)

Jonathan Blair (Coxswain Pierce, Mutiny on the Sea Witch; Frank/Officer Dixon, Close Encounters of the Hairy Kind; Frank/Officer Dixon, Close Encounters of the Hairy Kind 2022 Revival)

Janis Kunz (Polly the Parrot, Mutiny on the Sea Witch; Captain Wallis, Close Encounters of the Hairy Kind; Conductor, How to Solve a Murder)

Calvin Johnson (Henri, Eat Cake; Rusty Clementine, Foul Play; Dr. John Forsythe, Woman in the Walls; Basil Bremerton, Mum’s the Word; Bernard St. Bernard, Who’s Who?; Angel Archer, Closer to Heaven; Evan Landon, Close Encounters of the Hairy Kind 2022 Revival; Yves Dufort, Tête-à-Tête; Red Queen, Malice in Wonderland; Basil Bremerton, Visions of Sugarplums)

Felix Browne (Ivy Greenway, Foul Play)

Olivia Holm (Honey Boudin, Close Encounters of the Hairy Kind; Eliza, Woman in the Walls; Mercedes Van Chrysler, Who’s Who?; Hallie Sheppard, Closer to Heaven; Salome Auclair, Tête-à-Tête; Charlotte Collins, The Sky’s the Limit; Millie Carraway, Murder at the Red Fez 2025 Revival)

Lex Phillips (Guy de Vere, Lenore Nevermore)

Tiffany Cheney (Claire Forsythe, Woman in the Walls)

Natalie Murphy (Daphne Evermore, Mum’s the Word)

Grace Lloyd (Amelia Brent, Mum’s the Word)

Beth Sparks-Jacques (Georgia Georgson, Who’s Who?)

Daniel Stallings (Gabriel Baker, Closer to Heaven; James “Jimmy Fudge” Ferguson, Close Encounters of the Hairy Kind 2022 Revival; Archibald Reeves, How to Solve a Murder)

Ed Kramer (Erik Lavigne, Tête-à-Tête)

Murolo Patchin (Casey Morgenstern, Tourist Trap; Brewster, How to Solve a Murder; White Rabbit, Malice in Wonderland)

Wyatt Pate (King Arthur, Shelf Life)

Reegan Hall (Sherlock Holmes, Shelf Life)

Journey Curran (Jane Eyre, Shelf Life)

Callie Bennett (Mina Harker, Shelf Life; March Hare, Malice in Wonderland)

Elaine Stewart (Velma Sloane, Murder at the Red Fez 2025 Revival)

Elise Bechtel (Diamond LaPore, Murder at the Red Fez 2025 Revival)

Libby Mitchell (Millie Carraway, Murder at the Red Fez 2025 Revival)

Brax Curran (Mad Hatter, Malice in Wonderland)

Zoe Berry (Red Queen, Malice in Wonderland)

Evelyn Trinkle (Queen of Hearts, Malice in Wonderland)

Xylo Piano (Mad Hatter, Malice in Wonderland)

Briona Stewart (March Hare, Malice in Wonderland)

Davis Kunz (Benjamin Anders, Visions of Sugarplums)

Allison Mitchell (Astrid Thane, Visions of Sigarplums)

The Ruby Hand Award for Achievements in Design recognizes excellence in the various field of technical theatrical design from set, costumes, makeup, hair, lighting, sound, music, choreography, publicity and more. Members working on the production vote anonymously for the best technical design of the show on opening night, and the winning designers who receive the most votes are awarded on the production’s closing night. Not every production will present the award based on the show’s scale or technical elements. Designers can win the award multiple times, and each plaque showcases the technical element they created when they won.

FUN FACTS

The Ruby Hand was created to celebrate our 10th anniversary in Spring 2025 upon the realization there were no awards honoring individual theatrical design achievements. Inspired by the phrase “being caught red-handed” and the hand representing an artist’s handcrafted design being their “fingerprint” on a production, the Ruby Hand was retroactively awarded through consultation with past artists, critical praise, and audience reactions to fifteen previous designs over the past decade to reward iconic designs. Murder at the Red Fez 2025 Revival was the first show to be chosen through the traditional method.

 The most Ruby Hands awarded at a single production was sixteen at Murder at the Red Fez 2025 Revival‘s closing night–fifteen for past designs to honor ten years of theatre from MMP and one for the production itself.

OUR WINNERS ARE:

Lore Boster
(Hair and Scentscape Design, Goodbye Hollywood)

Michael and Margit Stallings
(Set Design and Scenic Paint, Mutiny on the Sea Witch)

Daniel Stalling and Janis Kunz
(Puppetry, Mutiny on the Sea Witch)

Margit Stallings
(Costume Design, Eat Cake)

Cat Kreidt
(Costume Design, Foul Play)

Olivia Holm
(Makeup Design, Lenore Nevermore)

Beth Sparks-Jacques
(Costume Design, Woman in the Walls)

Janis Kunz
(Prop Design, Woman in the Walls)

Daniel Stallings
(Audio/Video Editing, Mum’s the Word)

Leslie Blake and Heather McGaha
(Set Design and Dressing, Closer to Heaven)

Janis Kunz
(Costume Design, Closer to Heaven)

Olivia Holm
(Makeup Design, Closer to Heaven)

Tristan Risden
(Lighting Design, Tête-à-Tête)

Janis Kunz, Tristan Risden, and Ed Kramer
(Set Design, The Sky’s the Limit)

Kaylee Erb
(Costume Design, Shelf Life)

Journey Curran
(Makeup Design, Shelf Life)

Elise Bechtel, Devanne Fredette, and Daniel Stallings
(Set Design, Dressing, and Scenic Art, Murder at the Red Fez 2025 Revival)

Murolo Patchin and Libby Mitchell
(Costume Design, Malice in Wonderland)

The Partners in Crime Award for Service in Writing was created in 2015 during the production of our third show, Hello Out There, which was co-written with frequent writing partner, C. R. Rowenson.  It is given to guest writers who contribute their fabulous talents to the creation of these mysteries as a reward for their talent and skill.  Without them, there are no mysteries!  Writers are awarded for their first show only.  Each subsequent show in listed below their winner entry in parentheses.

OUR WINNERS ARE:

C. R. Rowenson — Hello Out There — September 2015

Michelle Stallings — Foul Play — Summer 2019

Monica Dwyer — Close Encounters of the Hairy Kind — September 2019

Brady Thomas — The Sky’s the Limit — April 2023

Janis Kunz — How to Solve a Murder — November 2023

Devanne Fredette — Malice in Wonderland — July 2025

The Founder’s Award for a Year of Outstanding Service is Master Mystery Productions’ highest honor, given only once a year to an individual, organization, company, or business that gives above and beyond excellence in service to Master Mystery Productions over the course of a production year (January through November).  Each award is styled after our classic logo: the golden magnifying glass on a black field.  The Founder’s Award rewards those who possess commitment to help better our company and our shows over the entire year, and we are eternally grateful for all they do for us at Master Mystery Productions.

FUN FACTS

Red Rock Books is, to date, the first and only business to win a Founder’s Award.

Jessica Weston received a Special Founder’s Award, spanning the years of 2015 to 2023, for her longtime service as a theatrical critic before her retirement from journalism in December 2023.

OUR WINNERS ARE:

Michelle Stallings — 2015

Red Rock Books — 2016

Monica Dwyer — 2017

Devanne Fredette — 2018

Janis Kunz — 2019

Beth Sparks-Jacques — 2020

Calvin Johnson — 2021

Heather McGaha — 2022

Nicole Johnson — 2023

*Jessica Weston — 2015-2023

Margit & Michael Stallings — 2024

Murolo Patchin & Libby Mitchell — 2025

Special Commendation certificates were introduced in 2019 during the run of Eat Cake that spring. It was designed to honor individuals, venues, businesses, etc. who have assisted in tremendous eleventh-hour efforts for a production or who have made a significant, yet niche contribution to a production that was desperately needed. These efforts could be an understudy assuming a major role in a late stage of the production, a reliable and oft-employed rehearsal stand-in due to absentee performers, a venue offering eleventh-hour space for a show, a volunteer driver for extended travel periods. These efforts are localized and specific, which falls out of the purview of The Skeleton Key Award, which awards above and beyond service in multiple areas for a production.

FUN FACTS

Shelf Life was a show designed to teach students about the art of theatre. In recognition for completing their first show, we awarded all of the students a Special Commendation.

OUR WINNERS ARE:

Eat Cake
Molly Witherell — Leslie Blake — Margit Stallings

Lenore Nevermore
Olivia Holm — Margit Stallings

Closer to Heaven
Calvin Johnson — Monica Dwyer — Libby Mitchell

Close Encounters of the Hairy Kind 2022 Revival
Moe’s Music

Tête-à-Tête
Olivia Holm — Libby Mitchell — Allison Mitchell

Tourist Trap
Madeleine Smith

How to Solve a Murder
Devanne Fredette — Nicole Johnson — Janis Kunz

Shelf Life
Kaylee Erb — Wyatt Pate — Reegan Hall — Olivia Erb — Journey Curran — Vincent Allen — Daphne Berry — Emmy Griffith — Schyler Hall — Callie Bennett — Gavin Pate — Brax Curran — Devanne Fredette

Murder at the Red Fez 2025 Revival
Calvin Johnson — Elise Bechtel — Devanne Fredette — Cat Kreidt — Elaine Stewart — Angie Sonia-Pritchard — Leslie Blake

Malice in Wonderland
Red Rock Books — Devanne Fredette — Janis Kunz — Esther McKenna — Brax Curran — Margit Stallings — Holly Berry

Visions of Sugarplums
Libby Mitchell — Calvin Johnson — Davis Kunz — Jonathan Blair

The Master Mystery Productions Hall of Fame, launched for our 5th anniversary in 2020, honors the individuals whose contributions to the company have shown long-standing excellence and have molded Master Mystery Productions in significant and deeply-rooted ways into the theatrical company it has become.

Master Mystery Productions Hall of Fame

HISTORIC FIRSTS

Jeannie Johnson won the inaugural Skeleton Key Award for Service Above and Beyond for Murder at the Red Fez.

C. R. Rowenson won the inaugural Partners in Crime Award for Service in Writing for Hello Out There in 2015.

Michelle Stallings won the inaugural Founder’s Award for a Year of Outstanding Service for the 2015 season.

Celese Kendrick won the inaugural Diamond Mask Award for Excellence in Performance for the role of Mia Mallowan in The Last Parden Party in 2016.

Lore Boster won the inaugural Ruby Hand Award for Achievements in Design for her Hair and Scentscape Design for Goodbye Hollywood in 2015.

Calvin Johnson is the most decorated performers of the company with fifteen awards apiece. Calvin won The Skeleton Key for Ex Luna, ten Diamond Masks (Eat Cake, Foul Play, Woman in the Walls, Mum’s the Word, Who’s Who?, Closer to Heaven, Close Encounters of the Hairy Kind 2022 Revival, Tête-à-Tête, Malice in Wonderland, Visions of Sugarplums), three Special Commendations for Closer to Heaven, Murder at the Red Fez 2025 Revival, and Visions of Sugarplums, and The Founder’s Award for the 2021 season.

Katie Cozine became the first person to win both the Skeleton Key Award and a Diamond Mask Award for the same show: Bury Me in Paris in Spring 2017. The act was repeated by Nicole Johnson for Ode to Agatha, Sam Johnson for Lenore Nevermore, Heather McGaha for Closer to Heaven, Cat Kriedt for Tête-à-Tête, Ed Kramer for Tête-à-Tête, Journey Curran for Shelf Life, Elise Bechtel for Murder at the Red Fez 2025 Revival, and Callie Bennett for Malice in Wonderland. Nicole and Sam are also the only family members (mother and son) to have earned this honor.

Monica Dwyer became the first performer to win two Diamond Mask Awards–one for Wilhelmina Blake in Bury Me in Paris and one for Simone Davenport in Ode to Agatha. She also became the first performer to win two Diamond Masks in a single production year (2017).

Rah Herrington made history by being the first performer to win multiple Diamond Mask Awards–one for Leonardo in Exit Prima Donna and one for Vera McGregor in Famous Last Words–in her debut production year (2018).

Devanne Fredette is the longest-performing actor for Master Mystery Productions, having worked eighteen shows total: The Last Garden Party, Bury Me in Paris, Ode to Agatha, The Silent City, Exit Prima Donna, Famous Last Words, What Happens at Sundown, Mutiny on the Sea Witch, Eat Cake, Lenore Nevermore, Regions Beyond, Mum’s the Word, Unlucky Seven, Close Encounters of the Hairy Kind 2022 Revival, How to Solve a Murder, Shelf Life, Murder at the Red Fez 2025 Revival, and Malice in Wonderland.

Janis Kunz is the first and only puppeteer to win a Diamond Mask Award, which she did as Polly the Parrot in Mutiny on the Sea Witch in 2018. She secured her award-winning puppeteering with a Diamond Mask win as the Conductor/Chief Constable in 2023’s How to Solve a Murder.

Monica Dwyer became the first performer to win three Diamond Mask Awards (Wilhelmina Blake, Bury Me in Paris; Simone Davenport, Ode to Agatha; Madame la Comtesse, Eat Cake).

Margit Stallings became the first artist to win two ruby Hand Awards (Scenic Paint, Mutiny on the Sea Witch and Costume Design, Eat Cake)

Felix Browne earned the Silver Diamond Mask Award, the 25th Diamond Mask ever awarded, for his role as Ivy Greenway in Foul Play in Summer 2019.

Calvin Johnson became the first male performer to win multiple Diamond Mask Awards with wins for Henri in Eat Cake and Rusty Clementine in Foul Play, both in the 2019 season. He then became the first male performer to claim three Diamond Masks following his win as Dr. John Forsythe in Woman in the Walls.

Jonathan Blair is the first performer to win a Diamond Mask Award for a double role when he won for playing both Frank and Officer Dixon in Close Encounters of the Hairy Kind in September 2019.

Tiffany Cheney, Calvin Johnson, and Olivia Holm are the only three performers to win Diamond Masks through cast and crew voting instead of audience votes, due to the production of Woman in the Walls being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Devanne Fredette became the first person to win the Skeleton Key Award twice–once for The Silent City, a live production, and once for Regions Beyond, a digital production. She is the only member of the company to win the award for both live and digital shows.

Calvin Johnson became the first performer to win four Diamond Mask Awards after winning for Basil Bremerton in Mum’s the Word in May 2021.

Grace Lloyd and Natalie Murphy are the only performers whose Diamond Mask Awards are for solely a digital production–Mum’s the Word in Spring 2021.

Calvin Johnson became the first performer to win five Diamond Mask Awards after winning for Bernard St. Bernard in Who’s Who? in November 2021.

Olivia Holm became the first woman to win four Diamond Mask Awards after winning for Hallie Sheppard in Closer to Heaven in May 2022.

Calvin Johnson became the first performer to win six Diamond Mask Awards after winning for Angel Archer in Closer to Heaven in May 2022.

Heather McGaha is, to date, the only performer to win multiple Skeleton Key Awards for live productions only–Bury Me in Paris in 2017 and Closer to Heaven in 2022.

Janis Kunz is the the first artist to win three Ruby Hand Awards for her design work (Puppetry, Mutiny on the Sea Witch; Prop Design, Woman in the Walls; Costume Design, Closer to Heaven). She became the first artist to four Ruby Hands when she won for Set Design for The Sky’s the Limit.

Leslie Blake earned the Golden Diamond Mask Award for Excellence in Performance, the 50th Diamond Mask ever awarded, for the role of Witness the Fourth in Unlucky Seven in July 2022.

Jonathan Blair and Nicole Johnson are the joint first and so far only actors to repeat a Diamond Mask winning performance for the same role in both a debut and a subsequent revival production of a show–for Frank/Officer Dixon and Big Red respectively for Close Encounters of the Hairy Kind (2019 and 2022).

Calvin Johnson became the first performer to win seven Diamond Mask Awards after winning for Evan Landon in Close Encounters of the Hairy Kind 2022 Revival in October 2022. He followed that to become the first performer to win eight Diamond Masks for Yves Dufort in Tête-à-Tête in Fall 2022 and nine Diamond Masks for Red Queen in Malice in Wonderland in July 2025.

Olivia Holm became the first woman to reach five Diamond Mask Awards for Excellence in Performance with her win for Salome Auclair in Tête-à-Tête in Fall 2022.

Calvin Johnson became the first performer to win three Diamond Mask Awards in a single season (2022).

Olivia Holm earned the coveted and historic Diamond Diamond Mask Award for Excellence in Performance–the 60th Diamond Mask ever awarded–for the role of Charlotte Collins in The Sky’s the Limit in April 2023. She thus became the first woman to reach six Diamond Mask Awards.

The Chief Constable, performed by Janis Kunz, was the first puppet to announce the Diamond Mask Awards, which “he” did for How to Solve a Murder.

Margit and Michael Stallings are the first spouses to win the Founder’s Award and the first double champion of that prize–two winners for a single calendar year (2024).

The most awards ever presented at a single production was thirty-one–seven Special Commendations, one Skeleton Key, six Diamond Masks, one Special Founder’s Award, and sixteen Ruby Hands–at the closing night of Murder at the Red Fez 2025 Revival.

Elise Bechtel made history as the first artist to win four different awards at a single production when she won The Skeleton Key, a Diamond Mask, a Ruby Hand, and a Special Commendation all for Murder at the Red Fez 2025 Revival.

The technical element with the most Ruby Hand Awards to its credit is Costume Design with six wins (Eat Cake, Foul Play, Woman in the Walls, Closer to Heaven, Shelf Life, and Malice in Wonderland).

Janis Kunz is the first artist to win all the major awards from Master Mystery Productions (The Skeleton Key, The Diamond Mask, The Ruby Hand, The Partners in Crime, Special Commendations, and The Founder’s Award) which she completed across seven theatrical seasons (2019-2025). Devanne Fredette became only the second artist to repeat this honor across ten seasons (2016-2025).

Calvin Johnson is the first performer to win multiple Diamond Masks for the same character in two different scripted shows, which he did for Basil Bremerton for both Mum’s the Word and Visions of Sugarplums. This coincides with him being the first actor to win ten Diamond Mask Awards for his acting.

All award names and award images are the property of Master Mystery Productions.