Murder mystery set in 1900 Paris raises £1,500 towards Southwick theatre refurbishment

The murder mystery evening held by the Southwick Players in September raised £1,500 towards an appeal to replace the seating, redecorate and update the Barn stage. A further £15,000 still needs to be found.

"The guests were amazing," said Sally Diver. "They completely ran with the 1900 Parisian theme and came dressed in period costumes. They looked incredibly glamorous."

Sally took over directorial duties after her 'partner in crime' and the initial driving force behind the event, Ron Common, sadly had to bow out because of illness.

"Ron and I have worked together on five murder mysteries over the years," said Sally, "including two during lockdown which we did over Zoom.

"We 'travelled' up and down the country with the shows, performing for the Lions and helping them with their fund-raising.

"Included in the ticket price at our Southwick evening was an amazing spread by Connie [Devlin], the community centre's chef.

"The 80 guests were greeted with canapés and a glass of prosecco. During the first interval, they had a wonderful French menu grazing board and, in the second, beautifully presented desserts.

"The front-of-house team became waiters for the evening and Connie and helpers Craig and Esko worked in their own time for the evening.

"They were joined by some volunteers from the centre who were on their feet all evening to make sure it was a wonderful event – not to mention the unsung heroes in the kitchen doing the washing-up and clearing up.

"Jayne Routley, the centre administrator, spent the afternoon decorating the Barn Hall (including a cardboard cut-out Eiffel Tower!) and conjured up elaborate table displays.

"French café music set the right atmosphere for the guests as they entered the room.

"As for me, I am so incredibly proud of everyone involved. The audience spent most of the evening laughing and having fun. I really couldn't have asked for more."

"It was a brilliant evening," agreed guest Amanda Reeves. She attended with her daughter Rachel, who gave her the tickets as a birthday present.

"What a great way to raise money for the community centre. The organisation, the performance of the murder mystery and the catering were all superb."

In action for the Players on stage were Graeme Muncer, Chris Whittle, Sam Clements, Steve Emery, East McBride, Tanya Lyons, Sam Harrington-Lowe, Gary Sommerford and Sophie Collins.

Pete Dilloway was stage manager and video operator, Jeff Woodford did the lighting, Kate Armes and the cast sourced costumes and Jo Hall was in charge of props.