By Jacquelyn Walsh   jwalsh@dnronline.com

Actor Alejandro Rosa walks through a crowd of people at a murder mystery dinner theater at Massanutten Resort. Rosa is a member of Golden Duck Productions, a Staunton-based theater troupe that brings whodunnit dinners to the area. Photo by Nikki Fox

There aren’t many dinners where someone routinely ends up dead. But every Monday and Wednesday night at Massanutten Resort’s murder mystery dinner theater, guests have to watch for clues to identify the evening’s murderer.

Golden Duck Productions, a traveling theater group based in Staunton, puts on a rotating repertoire of four murder mystery plays that incorporate the audience into the action.

Noah McBrayer Jones, owner and artistic director of Leet Shakes/Golden Duck Productions and manager of Court Square Theater, writes the plays with the help of other actors.

Golden Duck Productions began its sixth year in May. In May 2005, they began writing original shows for the area. Each cast features seven people, out of a pool of 18 actors, with a number of overlapping castings, says McBrayer Jones. Although most of their shows were originally written for Massanutten, the group also performs them in other venues such as Mockingbird restaurant in Staunton and Bravo Italian Restaurant in Harrisonburg.

“We are trying to really hit as many markets as possible. It doesn’t matter what your gathering is as long as it’s a gathering, we can involve you,” says McBrayer Jones.

Christina Sayer, actor and playwright with Golden Duck Productions, works in the education department at the American Shakespeare Center.

“I think what’s great is that all of us are local people,” says Sayer. “We’re part of this local community. We’re not a troupe that has come in from somewhere else just to perform. This is our home, but we are all professional actors, we are a professional company. I think sometimes people are surprised at the high level of training that they see.”

But audience members won’t be able to just sit back and watch. It’s important to become a detective, Sayer said.

“The thing that makes us different from other murder mysteries is our level of audience interaction,” says Sayer. “We expect our audience to be listening closely for clues and you have to be paying attention from the very beginning. It’s up to you to get to the answers through smart interrogation.”

With three alternate endings, each of the four murder mysteries could end differently each show.

“We try to give the audience a different experience each time they come, rather than just a different plot,” says McBrayer Jones. “It’s a lot of fun to have the story told but also get to be part of it, because we have a high level of interactivity. We stay in character, and we’ll answer the questions you are asking as our character. We improvise. If they ask what your favorite music is, you better know what your character’s favorite music is.”

The interrogation, where actors go from table to table answering audience members’ questions, is Sarah Lewis Klingbeil’s favorite part of the performance.

“We’re not doing the kind of murder mystery where everything is right there on the table. It’s your job to follow up on the clues,” says Lewis Klingbeil, the publicity director for Golden Duck Productions and an actor in the troupe. “The show is designed so that you need to ask questions. It’s my favorite part because you never know what the audience will ask you. It’s the most fun and the most challenging part of the evening.”

For more information about Golden Duck Productions, visit goldenduckproductions.com where you can download podcasts, their Facebook page (Golden Duck Productions) or follow them on twitter (LeetShakes).

Upcoming performances will be at Bravo Italian Restaurant on Saturday, Aug. 14, call 438-5770 for reservations; every Sunday at Mockingbird restaurant, call (540) 213-8777 for details; and Mondays and Wednesdays at Massanutten Resort, call (540) 289-4978 for reservations. , call 438-5770 for reservations; every Sunday at The Mockingbird restaurant, call (540) 213-8777 for details; and Mondays and Wednesdays at Massanutten Resort, call (540) 289-4978 for reservations.