A Party to Murder

An Agatha Christie-style whodunnit

By Marcia Kash and Doug Hughes

6 characters (3F/3M) 1 set


It’s Hallowe’en and six people have come to play a murder-mystery game hosted by mystery writer Charles Prince on an island in the famous Cassandra lakes. They appear to be set for a weekend of fun, but when ghosts from the past begin to haunt them, it becomes clear that all is not as it seems. The game takes on a sinister dimension as guests start to turn up dead and the players realize that they may in fact be playing for their lives. As the tension rises, secret passages, hidden bodies and a twenty-five year old mystery all twist and turn together – leading to an unexpected and terrifying ending.

A Party to Murder’ received its premiere in 1996 , and has since been produced dozens of times in Canada, the United States and the U.K–where it toured in 2006. It is also a popular piece in Shanghai, presented frequently around Halloween- in Chinese of course!

What the critics say:

“A Party to Murder thrills, Christie fashion”
Kentucky Recorder (U.S.)

” …enough to turn Dame Agatha green with envy.”
Oxford Press (Ohio)

“I have rarely sat in a theatre with a feeling almost akin to the hairs rising on the back of my neck, but Act 1 of Marcia Kash’s and Douglas Hughes’ thriller had that effect on me and, I suspect, much of the audience.” The Stage (U.K)

“Intriguing red herrings and tantalizing twists and turns provided a clever and original plot for this unusual thriller”
Reading Chronicle (U.K,)

“Playwrights Marcia Kash and Douglas E. Hughes have embraced the mystery formula with cheeky charm and skillfully crafted an enjoyable trip through safe and cozy mayhem.”
London Free Press

“Brilliant–even better than Agatha Christie’s Ten Little Indians…well-planned and full of surprises.”
The Free Press (Saskatoon)

“The late Dame Agatha. . . is probably nodding with approval from her picture over the fireplace…the tension folds and unfolds like an accordion, revealing hidden passageways, supernatural events, and a bevy of bodies building to a superb climax.”
The Kentucky Recorder

For infomation regarding the licensing of A Party to Murder: