Stratford on Avon, England - October 2005

April: Royce planned a great weekend in Stratford on Avon, where we participated in “The Killing Game”. It was an overnight murder mystery weekend, which included lodging, dinner, breakfast, and loads of entertainment. It was an activity that we normally would not consider doing, but it turned out to be something we would definitely partake in again in the future. We took a train from London to Stratford on Avon, which happens to be the birthplace of William Shakespeare. It was a quick 2-hour ride, which allowed us to read up on what we should expect during the interesting weekend we were about to embark on. Once in Stratford, we walked around the town center and saw the house where Shakespeare grew up in, which had been well preserved. It was a very cute town with nice shops and tasty food.

We finally made it to the hotel, where the activities would take place. We met with the actors, who were already in character, in addition to the other 60 participants. After we had a glass of wine and were briefed, we were ready to roll. The event revolved around a fictitious popular daytime television quiz show called “Gasp”, and it was our job to collect as much information about the show and actors as possible. The amusing part of the whole experience was that the majority of the other participants thought that Royce and I were actors and a part of the show. This of course was due to the fact that we were Americans. People were following us and asking strange questions. We realized the suspicion early on, as well as some of the other actors, and we all played it up a little. We pretended to be huge fans of the show that traveled all the way from the US to see a taping. During one point in the night we overheard a group saying “that is the worst American accent I have ever heard”. Royce and I had never laughed so hard in our lives!

Before the festivities ended, we were all supposed to guess who killed who and why. Royce and I were one out of the three groups who guessed correctly and were awarded a “Sherlock Holmes Certificate”. The very best part was the fact that I was accused (by a very large group of people) of killing everyone, with Royce as my accomplice. They believed that I used my scarf and knitting needles as weapons!

If ever in the area, I would highly recommend participating in “The Killing Game”. We were able to meet new people, eat a wonderful meal, and play detective. If you are interested, the website is http://killinggame.co.uk/


Me in front of the Hotel, where the "murders" took place


Me with one of the actors....who we later discovered killed his wife!