New Sussex theatre group to offer murder mysteries for charity

Pammi Haylett and five other Chichester-area actors, have set themselves up as The Mystery Players.

As Pammi explains: “The Mystery Players’ aim is to offer to perform a murder mystery play at any fund-raising event at no cost to the recipients. Most of the plays will be written by one of the members of the group.

“During present COVID-19 restrictions, the group will adhere to social distancing and all other rules in force at the time of any performance and would expect the hosting company to do likewise. Some of the plays lend themselves to an outside situation.”

Anyone wanting to book their services should call the Mystery Players on 07905 468689 or 07962 837204 and discuss just how quickly the Players can be ready with a show.

The actors go back a long time: “Some of us met at Barchester and were part of the Barchester Players”. 20 years ago this year, Chichester Festival Theatre offered The Barchester Chronicles as a massive community play; the Barchester Players continued for a few years as a spin-off.

“We would put on our own plays. We did a lot. I wrote a lot of plays until we decided that it was better that it should fold.”

But now the Mystery Players are starting up: “We are all people who have done quite a lot of acting, one way or another.

“I had done a murder mystery away from here, and one of our group I am very friendly with writes. She is a really good writer and is writing a murder mystery. We started talking, and from that little chat, things developed. We thought we could do this.

“The idea is that we won’t charge. We will be just doing it for the pleasure of it. The idea is that we will have nothing to do with the organising. We will provide the entertainment and go.”

The company has got one provisional booking so far – and is awaiting confirmation. But Pammi and the team are keen to hear from anyone else who would like to use their services: “I am not talking big charities. I am talking village halls and things like that, little local charities. They will set up the event as a fund-raiser for whatever their cause, and we will turn up and perform and then leave.”

The group won’t have a fixed chairman or secretary: “Everyone will be equal.”

Instead, they will have rotating chairmen and minute-takers and meet in each other’s houses.”

Pammi stresses that whatever they do, it will be in strict accordance with whatever COVID regulations are in place at the time; when a booking is made, the situation will be assessed and the prevailing guidance will be strictly observed. Whether or not they wear face masks will be a decision taken in the circumstances of the particular performance, though Pammi is keen to stress we are talking about plays that could easily be performed outdoors.

“We won’t break any rules, and we won’t do anything we can’t do. And whatever the fund-raising is, we won’t be involved it in. We will just be doing the play… just something we love doing.

“The idea is that the audience will solve the crime. They will be given sheets to ask their own questions and to make notes, and they will have a chance at the end to ask whatever questions they want to ask.

“And at the end they can tell us who they think the murderer is ...”

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