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Suddenly, gunshots heard from the direction of the dining room, shattered the jovial atmosphere.

A collective gasp rose and guests of the Inn on Church’s Murder Mystery Dinner anxiously filed out of the lobby, heading for the dining room. Their mission: Figure out who is the killer lurking among them.

“At first, people weren’t sure if we were actors,” says local actor Kerry Corlis. “But they all caught on very quickly.”

Michelle Briggs, manager of the Inn on Church, hatched the idea about four months ago. To pull off her plan, she enlisted the help of Hendersonville Little Theatre to help her find actors and come up with a script.

Corlis, who has appeared in shows at the community theater on State Street, was among the actors who agreed to participate. Some of the actors, including Corlis, are also members of the local improv troupe Gag Order.

Although Corlis wrote the outline for the whodunnit, Briggs says it was truly a team effort. Each of the eight actors who participated developed their own character based on individual motives.

“It was not scripted,” Briggs says. “We did a lot of improv.”

Corlis plays the part of Ms. Sylvia Passet, a journalist who at the time of the murder was either loved or hated for her gossip column in the L.A. Tatler.

The actors, a few proudly clutching Oscar statues, circulated among the guests. Some had a spouse or personal assistant in tow — one award-winning director even toted a taxidermied squirrel in her purse.

Big response

Reservations for the debut of the Murder Mystery Dinner June 26 quickly reached the 70-person limit.

The Inn had so many people interested in attending that Briggs decided to book another murder mystery date using the same story line on July 31, starting at 5:30 p.m.

Reservations are still available, but Briggs says spots are going fast.

“I think it’s important to do fun events at an affordable price,” Briggs says. “To have an evening out with friends, nobody offers that anymore.”

The evening out costs $35 for a three-course meal and wine or beer service — and the rare chance to unleash your inner detective.

During the first hour of the event, the cocktail party, guests can purchase libations from a cash bar with wine, beer and mixed drinks.

Dinner includes a green salad, delicately steamed and seasoned vegetables, rice and a lightly prepared fish or chicken dish and dessert.

Red and white wine is poured with dinner, which is included in the price of the evening.

Seating is family-style at the dinner, which Briggs likes because it encourages people to talk more naturally with each other. Diners share clues, as well as information about themselves.

“The most fun part was seeing the Inn full of people having a great time,” says Briggs. “To see everyone with a glass of wine, laughing — there was real camaraderie.”

With an intimate yet spacious feel, period antiques and furnishings that include an unusual antique wooden bar, the historic Inn is the perfect place for a party or the Murder Mystery Dinner.

“It’s such a great building,” she says. “Come and enjoy this beautiful place. It’s not stuffy!”

Of the 70 people attending the inaugural Murder Mystery Dinner, about 10 were guests staying at the Inn, Briggs says. The remainder came from the community.

Briggs and the actors were delighted that their first foray into the realm of Clue, Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie was such a success.

“People were really participating,” Corlis says. “It only makes our job more fun when people ask questions.”

One diner told Corlis that he was George Clooney. In return, Corlis, acting as Sylvia Passet (pronounced “pass-ay”), called him “George” throughout the evening.

“Be outrageous,” she says. “We’ll play along with it.”

When Jon and Tiffany Eilders of Spartanburg booked a room at the Inn on Church they heard about the mystery dinner so they brought along formal clothing.

Tiffany Eilders, a mother of four, wore a form-fitting midnight blue dress with a plunging neckline, glittering with diamond-like sparkle, looking like an Oscar winning actress herself.

Detective or observer

Though dressing up and asking lots of sleuthful questions is fun, people don’t have to participate to have a good time. It’s perfectly acceptable to simply enjoy dinner and watch the action from the sidelines.

To help the guests with their detective work, however, everyone receives a yellow sheet that names the suspects and includes space for note-taking as the evening progresses.

The same outline is being used for the July event and additional dinner events that are planned in August or September.

In addition to Corlis, the actors included Molly Carlin-Folk, Paula Orr, Garren Orr, Jonathan Forester, Jason Denton, Heather Denton, and Maren Robinson. Each character devised her or his own costumes for the mystery dinner.

The actors readily agreed to work the event in exchange for wine and dinner at the Inn, Briggs says.

While guests ate dinner in the three connected dining rooms, the actors milled around answering questions, giving desperate alibis and bickering amongst themselves.

“This is different than I thought it would be — I thought it would be a performance,” says M.C. Gaylord of Hendersonville, who seemed happy with the unexpected format.

Some of the dinner’s guests had prior experience with mystery dinner theater. Iris and Lorne Bentley, of Laurel Park, had attended a mystery dinner on a train ride in Sarasota.

This couple, like many of the guests, definitely took their sleuthing seriously. They scribbled notes on their yellow sheets.

“I found a couple of holes in a couple of alibis — though my husband disagrees with me,” says Iris Bentley. She may want to heed her husband’s advice, a retired speech writer for the U.S. Department of Defense, who has just completed “Mind Switch,” a detective novel that deals with paranormal themes.

Toward the end of the evening, guests were asked to help detective Joe Copper (played by Jason Denton) pin down a murderer. Denton, who is legally blind, seemed the perfect ironic choice to play detective.

“I told him I could create a blind character, and he said ‘OK’ — he’s a good sport about it,” says Corlis. “He’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met.”

Denton’s wife, Heather, is a drama teacher at Rugby Middle School. She plays the part of Maureen Slaghead, personal assistant to an award-winning actress, played by Paula Orr.

Orr’s husband, Garren, plays the part of the paparazzi, taking flash photos throughout the evening.

As guests sharpened their focuses, emotions ran high.

Shouts of denials from the accused mixed with the chanting of names in either support or condemnation — it wasn’t always clear. Because the same script will be used this month, the identity of the murderer must be kept a secret, Briggs and the actors agree.

Says Corlis: “We had so much fun we can’t wait to do it again.”

<a href="http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20100714/ARTICLES/7111001/1042/NEWS?Title=The-Inn-on-Church-is-hosting-Murder-Mystery-Dinnerstag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20100714/ARTICLES/7111001/1042/NEWS?Title=The-Inn-on-Church-is-hosting-Murder-Mystery-DinnersWed, 14 Jul 2010 17:20:37 GMT 00:00″>The Inn on Church is hosting Murder Mystery Dinners

Its a question I cant really answer, Ive seen women in my own family and I know they dress up for other women, shoes, make up, purse. In college/school/life I can never understand if girls are dressing up for us or just for other girls?

Do girls dress up for guys or just for other girls?