The annual Mystery Dinner Theatre Show features some of Plant City’s finest as they join the audience in solving a murder in Hollywood.
A murder will take place among Hollywood dreamers during “Suspect Hollywood,” the 2017 Mystery Dinner Theatre Show. This year, however, the audience will have the chance to be a part of the story.
The Friends of the Bruton Memorial Library are renowned for the annual dinner theater show, which raises money for the library. This is the 18th show put on by the group, but Gail Lyons, president of The Friends of the Bruton Memorial Library, said it is unlike anything they’ve done before.
“Well this year we have changed the show,” Lyons said. “The audience actually has an opportunity to
audition for a part. It’s gonna be interactive with the audience this year and we have never done that.”
Lyons said the mystery dinner is always the group’s largest fundraiser. Outside of the city, the Friends of the Bruton Memorial Library is the largest financial contributor to the library. The group assists with youth programs, brings in authors and helps with different enhancements to the library in general.
“It excites me, I have a passion for the library because of all that it can do for toddlers on up to senior citizens,” Lyons said. “It’s for the good of the community. It helps the children and has a safe environment for them to touch a book and to learn. It’s important for education and just the well being of our whole community.”
Lyons has been an active member since 2010, when she was first in one of the shows. At that time Dr. Hal Brewer had been the creator of the mystery dinner and he was able to bring in a loyal following of residents in Plant City, a trend Dodie White, vice president of Friends of the Bruton Memorial Library, said they aim to continue.
“Gail and I sit down together, we come with a list already prepared, and we only pick fun people, people that we know can sell tickets for us, people that we enjoy working with and people in the community who others will want to come see be on stage,” White said. “We kind of brainstorm and will say ‘Oh this person would look good in this part.’”
Each year prominent members of the community volunteer their time to perform in the highly anticipated event. White said the show is never the same and the group aims to ensure the audience enjoys itself so much it can’t wait to return the following year.
This year, to ensure the mystery remains unsolved prior to opening night, the majority of the cast will not know the ending of the show until the night of the event. White said everyone agreed it would be better if they did not know who the murderer was so there would be no temptation to talk prior to the show, guaranteeing it will truly be a surprise for everyone in the audience.
“It’s a very inexpensive night out for you,” Lyons said. “Where else can you go for $45 and have a meal and a show? Especially in Plant City.”
