Characters are asked to wear costumes on Friday and Saturday nights, but the degree of preparation is left to each guest's discretion. La'Donna and Todd Causey give Senora Maria and Sen. Patton a vivid existence with help from Norma Rojas, costumer for Theater Victoria in their home-town. Some rely on makeshift adjustments to their regular wardrobes. Only a few guests possess acting experience, and no formal script-learning is required. Instead, at the outset of each act, each character is given printed information that he or she should convey.
Every sleuth picks a character to follow.
The story line has to be tight, and we have to make certain every character reveals essential information. But the main objective is that people have fun. A 90-minute session Friday night sets the scene. The mystery itself is introduced during a two-hour interrogation Saturday morning. An optional Saturday-afternoon scavenger hunt can uncover clues, and guests concentrate on resolutions when they gather again that evening for further exchanges and a multicourse dinner.