DEADLYfun

How to get away with Murder

(and have your patrons thank you for it)

Why should you listen to us?

Becky Peterson, Alamance County Public LibrariesRebekah Scott, Alamance County Public Libraries5 years of increasingly successful original mystery

night programs

2012 – 60 tickets were gone within 3 hours.

2013 – doubled the number of performances to increase

tickets from 60 to 120 (we still sold out)

How did we get here?

2007 – Purchased a good script

2008 – Purchased a terrible script

2009 – We can do this!

How our programs work

What is your goal?

To instruct?

To entertain?

Know your library

Know your space

Know your staff

Know your audience

Know your limits

Choose your setting

Choose your victim

Choose your suspects

Choose your motives

Choose your evidence

Choose your killer

Choose your tell

Clever, not obvious

Plan your timeline

Write the script

Create your evidence

Cast your roles

Things to consider

Attendance

Fundraising?

Open or closed?

Costs

Publicity

Show time!

Draw the line

Stay in character

Record for posterity

Have fun!

Too busy to write?

Purchase a script

www.librarymurdermysteries.com

www.librarymysteries.com

Questions?

Photo Credits

1. Stock.xchng/red dripping paint/sachyn2. Stock.xchng/Headphone/KillR-B3. Stock.xchng/Break Water/G_FORDHAM4. Stock.xchng/Like Sands Through the

Hourglass/moonfire85. Stock.xchng/b/w basketball hoop 3/wvubush6. Stock.xchng/Back to School/ywel7. Stock.xchng/Colorful Music/Avolore8. Stock.xchng/public library 2/danjaeger9. Flickr/Meeting Room Grey Cropped/BAKOKO10.Stock.xchng/crowder/SaMe-GFX11.Stock.xchng/audience/takje12.Flickr/Speed Limit 35/Nathan Jongewaard13.Stock.xchng/Chair on empty beach/Chemtec14.Flickr/Chalk Outline/Ben Smith15.Flickr/The Usual Jellies/Carl Jones16.Stock.xchng/Brown Envelope Money Bribe

001/darrendean17.Stock.xchng/Thumb Impression/asifthebes18.Stock.xchng/Pavement in against days/cecilegeng19.Stock.xchng/-Solution-/spekulator20.Stock.xchng/Innovation/raja4u

21.Stock.xchng/All in Time/cozgrl0522.Stock.xchng/We are drawing/nkzs23.Stock.xchng/Wooden Pencils In Line/iprole24.Flickr/rock me,/roujo25.Flickr/One Done/Daniel Kulinski26.Flickr/admit one: san Francisco

(2012)/torbakhopper27.Flickr/Money/401(k) 201228.Flickr/Restaurant’s “Sorry we’re Closed” sign/Nick

Papakyriazis29.Stock.xchng/The Pig/Penny Matthews30.Stock.xchng/Empty Billboard/asifthebes31.Flickr/Spotlight/Judy van der Velden32.Stock.xchng/Draw the Line!/nkzs33.Stock.xchng/~Mask~/AMA90 34.Stock.xchng/Old Camera/porah35.Stock.xchng/At the Carnival 2/k_vohsen36.Screencap from my computer37.Stock.xchng/Typewriter With Screen/tomdavies38.Flickr/Questions/Oberazzi