Frequently Asked Questions

The evening starts at cocktail hour, when our actors arrive in character, mingle with your guests and start dropping hints. Once dinner is served the plot thickens, characters circulate between tables trading gossip and secrets, and somebody eventually meets a suspicious end. Our detective then guides everyone through the evidence until the case is solved.

No. Participation is always voluntary and nobody is put on the spot. Some guests interrogate every suspect and end up the stars of the night, while others prefer to sit back, eat and enjoy the comedy, and the show works just as well either way.

Most shows run between $1,000 and $4,000 depending on group size, number of actors and travel, with a typical full show around $2,500. For groups under 12 we offer a one-actor show from $750 in selected cities, and for public ticketed events we usually work in the $30 to $50 per person range. We are happy to work with your budget where we can.

We have local and regional performers in Vancouver, Kelowna, Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Grande Prairie, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax, Moncton and Fredericton. We also travel well beyond those centres, including to smaller communities and resort areas, for an additional travel fee. Tell us your venue and we will confirm the nearest cast.

You provide the venue and the meal, and we bring the characters, costumes, props, clues and detective. We also need a small backstage area for costume changes, and a sound system if your group is over 50 or the room has awkward acoustics.

You can book as far ahead as you like, and we generally need at least two weeks’ notice. For November and December the earlier the better, because those dates fill up first. It is always worth asking about a short notice date anyway, because cast availability changes week to week.

Yes. We have a large library of themes running from classic whodunits and Mafia mayhem through weddings, reunions, high school throwbacks, holiday stories and resort disasters. If you have something specific in mind we can also write a custom script, which is quoted separately.

The show is built around your event rather than dropped into the middle of it, so the length follows the format: about an hour for a lunchtime session, and up to about three hours for a larger group over dinner, from the first character arriving at cocktail hour to the final reveal. We work to your schedule, so tell us what time you are seated and we will fit around it.

No, and that is deliberate. Unlike traditional dinner theatre the show is casual and interactive, so guests are free to chat and eat throughout. Only a few scenes ask for the room’s full attention, which is enough to keep everyone hooked without killing the social atmosphere.

We do not provide the venue, the catering, a sound system or venue-specific setup. A sound system is required for groups over 45 or rooms with poor acoustics. We do ask for a small backstage area for costumes, props and the occasional victim.

Yes. We can keep a show family-friendly or corporate-safe, or let it run cheekier for an adult private party. Tell us who is in the room when you enquire and we will match the tone.

Often, yes. There is no extra travel fee in our core cities, and we travel to nearly any other city in Canada for an additional fee that depends on the date, the size of the cast and the distance. If there is no troupe nearby we will tell you honestly what it would take to bring one.

Everyone receives a suspect list and a ballot early in the evening. Guests question suspects, compare evidence and hand in their solution at the end, competing for the Super Sleuth certificate or the Bumbling Fool award for the most entertaining wrong answer.

The mystery is the vehicle, but the session is built around teamwork. Teams are split into small groups, pick a team name and work the case together, which draws out communication, problem solving, active listening and thinking on your feet without it ever feeling like a workshop.

We run everything from a lunch hour session to an evening event to a full weekend retreat, and we scale the format to the time you have. About an hour is the practical minimum, which is long enough for teams to work the case properly without eating the whole afternoon.

That is rather the point. Participation is voluntary, the format is a comedy mystery rather than an exercise, and quieter people can contribute by taking notes and spotting details while the extroverts do the interrogating.

Yes. You can choose from our existing scripts or we can write a custom scenario around your team, your industry or a message you want to land. Custom writing is quoted separately.

We have people on the ground in Vancouver, Kelowna, Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Grande Prairie, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax, Moncton and Fredericton, and we travel beyond them for an additional fee. If your retreat is somewhere remote, ask us anyway.

Pricing works the same way as our other shows, generally $1,000 to $4,000 depending on group size, cast and travel, with a typical event around $2,500. Custom script writing runs $300 to $750 on top.

A character who works the room rather than a stage. They greet guests, stay in character all evening, lead games, announce door prizes and generally make the event feel like an event. Think a bodyguard demanding the password at the door, or a Queen of Hearts holding court.

Roving actors are $200 per actor for up to two hours, then $100 per hour after that, with a $200 per actor minimum. Costumes may cost extra if something has to be bought in, and certified professional Santas start at $500 per event.

Just about anything. We have done Roaring Twenties with flappers and a Godfather, fun money casinos with Elvis and showgirls, Alice in Wonderland, westerns with cowboys and saloon girls, and full Christmas casts with Santa, Mrs Claus and as many elves as you like.

Yes, and we have. Past work includes recreating “Dallas” for 500 Rogers Wireless guests, a custom safety show for Enbridge, staff training skits for a restaurant chain, a Star Wars experience for a Calgary Zoo fundraiser and a 007 recruitment mission with prototype building and a laser maze. Custom scripts and skits are quoted at $300 to $750 for the writing.

An actor who blends into your event and then gradually becomes more outlandish as the night goes on, or simply a fun character who turns up unannounced. They work as plants in the workplace, the date from hell, or a long lost cousin at the family barbecue.

Yes, on the same basis as our murder mysteries. No extra travel fee in our core cities, and travel elsewhere in Canada quoted on the date, cast size and distance.