Local Teens Create Murder-Mystery at Indian Prairie

Never mind Professor Plum in the lounge with a candlestick. This Saturday, think Jane Eyre in the multi-purpose room with a gun instead.

Of course, Murder Mystery after hours event won't actually have Charlotte Bronte's fictional title heroine wielding firearms or reinterpreting the board game Clue. Instead, it will feature teens interacting and playing their roles in an original script by the library's Teen Advisory Board. 

After months of meetings, the Teen Advisory Board collaborated to create the Murder Mystery event for teens in grades 7 through 12. With about 20 participants signed up to join the 20 board members, the event will highlight a large cast of characters, many clues and even false leads, promising plenty of intrigue.

"This was one of the things they did that they really enjoyed," said Jane Hartney, the library's Teen Program Coordinator. "They would like to do it every month but it's just a little labor intensive - they have to be able to write the script and develop the clues."

Because of the workload, the board could not complete this year's script and will use an older original script instead. Still, Maheen Husain, a 15-year-old Teen Advisory Board member from says that the event will be a fun way for teens to start the summer, no matter what script they use, as the event helps them get creative. 

"It's going to be fun and exciting," she said. "If you want to do something in writing or drama, you get the advantage of trying it hands on. It just puts you on the edge of your seat like a gritty adventure, so it's pretty cool."

On Saturday, all participants will receive a character to portray, either a suspect or a detective, and then learn the names and the general information of their fellow characters. Once all the participants are ready to begin, Hartney will direct the teens to a room to watch a pre-recorded "newscast" announcing the discovery of a murder, prompting the participants to begin looking for clues.

As the interactive event continues, the teens will find ways to portray their characters and piece together the clues they receive from each other to solve the murder. Then they'll regroup to watch other newscasts and get more clues.

At the same time, the event will be filmed by tech-savvy teens. Through these interactions, Hartney says that the teens may start out as strangers but will soon become friends as they cooperate through the course of the game.

"They have to let their guard down in a fun way and go through the process without any preconceived notions," she said. "Many of them will start out very shy, but once they see the other people step forward and add to the flavor of the moment, then they'll add to it too."

More importantly, the interactive adventure will help the members of the Teen Advisory Board learn how much effort it takes to create community events and allow the participants to network and meet students from other high schools in the area. After the case is solved, teens can also help edit footage of the event to create a film that the board and local teens can view later in the year.

"We want people to come to the library to make connections," Hartney said. "This is just a fun way to do it. It becomes more of a community experience."

Ultimately, the participants will have the opportunity to explore their characters and share the experience with other local teens in the community.

"I just can't wait," Husain said. "It's something unique - can you go anywhere else and find this sort of thing? It's one of a kind."

The After Hours Murder Mystery will be held Saturday, June 18 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the