The producers of Capers are back with a new original production.
Members of the Alpha Psi Omega (APO) fraternity have written their own murder mystery play, “A Royal Murder Mystery,” that will be presented in the Fishback Studio Theater Nov. 2-3 at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.
The Murder Mystery Committee within the organization wrote, cast, directed and designed this 30-minute show. Admission is $5 or two nonperishable food items that will be donated to Jacks Cupboard.
Carl Steinlicht, the vice president of the organization and director of the production, said there will be a raffle for a free ticket to Capers at the end of the show.
Attendees get to vote on who they think the murderer is, according to Steinlicht.
“People are voting at the end of the show on who they think the killer is, which is . . . the most exciting part of the experience, Steinlicht said. “When you are watching an Agatha Christie show, or reading a murder mystery novel, you are always like ‘I think it’s this person. No, I think it’s this person,’ but you never really get the chance to put it down and say this is exactly who I think it is and then be proven right or proven wrong. It’s really cool to have the conviction to say, ‘This is who I think it is.’’’
Breana Nupen, who is APO’s publicity head as well as Countess Bryniviere in the production, says her favorite part of the show is the mystery.
“Anyone truly could have done it,” Nupen said. “Everyone has a strong motive, but pinpointing the murderer truly takes a strong detective to figure out who did it.”
Grant Taylor, who plays King Gerold in the murder mystery, helped write the script. He said the script-writing process began as a committee within APO, which met to discuss ideas, plots, themes and characters.
“Once we had the majority of the plot and character backgrounds and motivations figured out, we constructed a timeline of events that occurs in our story,” Taylor said. “From there, we started actually writing the script, filling in the blanks, and figuring out how we would get from one point to the next. It was a process that required a lot of creative collaboration.”
Steinlicht said, “Grant (Taylor) did a great job at getting us moving and getting the show tied together.”
Nupen said the script-writing process was tedious because the group had to form a script that made the murderer not too obvious, but highlight some hints and motives behind the true murderer.
“It was fun, too, because we had to collaborate together to create a story, plot and characters,” Nupen added.
Taylor enjoys being a part of APO because it gives him and other students more opportunities within the department.
“APO gives us a platform to work on our creativity and our crafts,” he said. “It gives us opportunities that we wouldn’t otherwise have and the ability to try new things, such as putting on a murder mystery from scratch. It is a community of theatrically minded students who are driven to make the most out of our college theater experience.”
He said his favorite part of the murder mystery is that it’s entirely student produced.
When asked why SDSU students should come see the production, Reagan Black, Alpha Psi Omega’s president, said the murder mystery is a fun event to do over Halloween weekend.
“While you’re in a spooky mood, you can enjoy this performance, do some mystery-solving, and support Jack’s Cupboard,” Black said. “Plus, the experience takes under an hour, so it can fit easily into a busy Halloween weekend schedule.”
Black said she enjoys being a part of APO because she gets to collaborate with her closest friends and bring joy to audiences. Since APO is a theater honors fraternity, the group can serve as leaders in the program and inspire younger students to create and perform theater.
