Chris comments on his writing process:
‘Each new title takes me around three months to devise, write, edit and perfect, before it can be tested onstage. Though I find the writing phase hugely enjoyable, it’s also an incredibly complex undertaking. I make pages and pages of notes to keep me focused on how all the characters connect both to one another and to the events which take place onstage. I have to be mindful of all the stock elements of murder mystery... a fiendish crime, a raft of dissolute characters, a sleuth relentless in his/her pursuit of the truth, a deluge of clues and red herrings and, most crucially, a solution which, when painstakingly unraveled, makes complete sense to an audience of bamboozled spectators. Ticking all these boxes in a creative, entertaining way is not easy and is an undertaking of almost mathematical ingenuity!’
Each full-length murderplay...
*Is written in three acts. *Contains breaks in between the acts where refreshments may be served. *Can be performed ‘script in hand’. *Contains ‘two’ characters ‘who-did-it’ (making the challenge more difficult for the audience and easier for the venue to mark). *Comes with a pack containing all of the audience answer sheets, poster and ticket templates, an event explanation, complimentary quiz, performance certificate and receipt. *Is set in a single location with very few props (for ease of staging). *Has a ‘running time’ of between an hour and an hour and a half. *Is humorous, family-friendly, and filled with comic stereotypes. *Can be ordered from www.murderplays.com with a single, one-off payment. *Is free to be adapted by the purchasing centre however they see fit. *Entitles the purchaser to a ‘Repeat Performance Discount’ for subsequent orders. *Is written with the ‘Who Killed the...?’ title-format.
Chris chose the ‘Who Killed the...?’ title format as it’s an instantly recognisable brand which easily directs customers to the play which appeals most... be that, Who Killed the Vicar... or Farmer, or Secret Agent, or Director, or Ship’s Captain, or Golf Pro., or Hotel Manager, or Holiday Rep., or Mad Scientist, or Pop Star, or Football Manager!?
Murderplays’ Mystery Shorts:
In 2015 a comment from Chris’ wife, June, prompted him to begin work on a new line of scripts. She said, “You’ve written a lot of full-length pieces now, Chris, so why not try your hand at something different? Something that will appeal to a different type of customer? Why not write something for groups who don’t necessarily have lots of theatrical resources? Shorter plays. Cheaper ones. With smaller casts.” She went on, “This new line of plays don’t even have to have a murder, either, just some kind of mystery for the audience to solve?”
June’s comment immediately set Chris thinking. An alternative range of titles would give customers a greater choice of performance style whilst offering him a fresh challenge as a writer. Inspired, he promptly started work on a series of whodunit scripts that came to be known as, ‘Mystery Shorts’.
Mystery Shorts are stripped-back versions of the traditional Murderplays’ formula, the main difference being that in these pieces the action is ‘narrated’ rather than ‘acted’ creating the feel of a ‘courtroom drama’. The crime has already taken place so the characters are left to account for their actions retrospectively with the detective (or detective figure) spearheading the charge for the truth. Indeed, so stripped-back are the Shorts that all that’s required for a full production is a space large enough for the performers to stand and read aloud to an audience. It was the simplicity of this concept that Chris found so appealing. He also thought they’d be much easier to write. Sadly, however, this turned out not to be the case...!?
Chris’ first Short, ‘A Write Rumpus Down the Rat and Rooster!’, was set in a pub and concerned the theft of the laptop of a famous writer. Other pieces quickly followed and Chris soon realised that, despite being called ‘Shorts’, each still emerged long enough to provide for a full whodunit show which would challenge any audience.
Each ‘Mystery Short’...
*Is written in two acts. *Contains an interval where refreshments may be served. *Is to be read/performed with ‘script in hand’. *Contains ‘two’ characters ‘who-did-it’. *Comes with a pack complete with all the audience answer sheets, poster and ticket templates, an event explanation, performance certificate and receipt. *Is stripped of many ‘theatrical’ elements with only costume being essential. *Has a ‘running time’ of roughly an hour. *Is humorous, family friendly, and filled with comic stereotypes. *Can be ordered from www.murderplays.com with a single, one-off payment. *Is free to be adapted by the purchasing centre however they see fit. *Is written with some kind of pun-title...
Chris decided to be more creative with the titles of his ‘Shorts’. Recent additions include... ‘Fairway to Heaven!’ (about golf), ‘Murder Most Fowl!’ (farming), ‘Fish, Chips and Mucky Sleaze!’ (a seaside hotel), ‘Murder in an Indecent Manor!’ (echoing Cleudo) and ‘Where the Sun Don’t Shine! (a Greek package holiday).
Since its inception, Murderplays has slowly generated a loyal following. In 2019 there were over 160 separate productions of Chris’ murder mysteries worldwide. The majority of Chris’ pieces take place in Great Britain, but there have also been events staged in the Channel Islands, Spain, Australia, Greece, Mexico, Indonesia, France, the USA, Holland... and even on board both a cruise liner and a navy warship!
