Christendom’s Class of 2025 performed the college’s annual Mystery Dinner Theater this past weekend, presenting “The Game’s Afoot in Gun-Barrel City: How Many Crimes Can One Town Hold?” Performed over three evenings, the show was a resounding success, raising nearly $14,000 for the senior class gift.
Mystery Dinner Theater is a massive production and commitment every year, with Christendom seniors stepping up to write, direct, and produce the beloved show. Seniors Erin McLaughlin and Johnny Gunthorpe spent long hours directing the immensely talented cast who brought fellow senior Helen Davis’ script to life. The resulting show had the audience in stitches from start to finish, thanks to excellent acting, incredible improv, and unexpected hilarity in every scene.
Not only did the actors wow audiences with their ad-lib skills, but they continued to impress McLaughlin with their talents in every show.
“What stood out to me most about these actors and actresses was not only that we had one of the biggest casts in Mystery Dinner Theater history, but most of them had never acted before,” McLaughlin says. “They improvised most of their own lines, which is very impressive. I could not have asked for a better cast.”
Mystery Dinner Theater is a beloved opportunity for theatrically minded students to collaborate on a creative project for the whole community. For McLaughlin, the culmination of months of hard work was deeply fulfilling — especially given the warm reception from the audience.
“The overall experience was very rewarding,” McLaughlin said. “Starting at the beginning of the semester with just an idea and seeing it all come together was incredible. I got so many positive reviews, which just made all the time and effort worth it.”
Set in Gun-Barrel City, Texas, “The Game’s Afoot” takes place at the Sunny Side Up Diner, where the opinionated matriarch is mysteriously murdered. A pair of bumbling detectives investigate her quirky family, the locals, and the diner staff as suspects.
During the show’s two intermissions, each audience was able to interact with cast members and purchase clues from them to guess the mystery murderer in hopes of winning a cash prize. Through a combination of ticket sales, clue purchases, and purchases at the bar, this year’s Mystery Dinner Theater ultimately raised a total of $13,789, setting a record for the show’s history.
This year’s senior class will use the proceeds to help fund the construction of a new Our Lady of Lourdes grotto on campus. Previous senior gifts have supported the Crusader Fields scoreboard, campus beautification, and the completion of Christ the King Chapel.
To see photos from this year’s Mystery Dinner Theater, visit here.
Contributed by Bridget Palm ’28.