On July 16, over 100 SLCC students and their guests set sail for dinner, drama and intrigue on the high seas. All without ever leaving Salt Lake City.
The event was a murder mystery dinner that took place outside the east entrance of the South City Campus. The dinner was just one of many events put on by the Fine Arts and Lectures Committee.
“My goal is to do one [murder mystery dinner] every semester,” said Kade Smith, Vice President of the Fine Arts and Lectures Committee. “And my other goal is to have it at all of our main campuses, have a different one at each of our campuses.”
For the past two years, the performance part of the dinner has been done by Hunt Mysteries, a local entertainment group that specializes in murder mystery dinners. At the most recent dinner, the Hunt Mysteries actors played various characters on a cruise ship, each character hiding a secret that could cause them to commit murder.
As the guests ate their dinner, provided by the South City Campus Activities Board, the motley cast of characters acted out the night’s drama, dropping clues along the way. A few guests even had the opportunity to play small roles in the unfolding story.
Eventually, the performance built up to the inevitable murder. At which point, guests were able to put their investigative skills to test by questioning each of the characters to discover who the murderer was. As the evening wrapped up, prizes were given to those guests who guessed correctly.
“We really tried to make it something special,” Smith said.
In the past, the Fine Arts and Lectures Committee has helped arrange a wide variety of entertainment including a short film festival, several jazz concerts, and a guest artist series. They have also arranged performances by groups such as the Vagabond Opera, Eclipse and the Latino Fire Dance team.
Already, the Fine Arts and Lectures Committee has started lining up entertainment for the upcoming school year.
On Sept. 8, the Fine Arts and Lectures Committee will be hosting a movie night in connection with the Taylorsville Redwood Campus Activities Board.
The movie night starts at 7 p.m. in the Alder Amphitheater. While waiting for the night to get dark enough for the movie to start, there will be a concert by Caitlin Crosby. Crosby is a singer/songwriter from Los Angeles who recently did a special with Oprah in Time Square for over 10,000 people.
“We’re lucky to be getting her right now before anything happens with that,” said Smith. “She’s going to be a great entertainer to bring on campus.”
Students can get more information on previous and upcoming events on campus by stopping by the Fine Arts and Lectures office on the Taylorsville Redwood Campus in room 124 G of the Student Center.