Think Outside Of The Box

Within the first year of operating Premier Team Building & Interactive Experiences, I received at least a half-dozen inquiries, or requests for proposals, for a murder mystery experience. I couldn’t (and still can’t) believe it. Apparently they are far more popular and well-liked than I thought.

With a background and education in live theater, and a cadre of friends, acquaintances, and colleagues who are professionals in the entertainment industry, I easily could have put together a production staff and written, designed, developed, and workshopped a murder mystery experience. So why didn’t I?

First, I don’t particularly care for murder mysteries. OK, fine . . . I think they’re cheesy, the majority of the ones I’ve experienced first-hand were less-than-stellar in execution, and they’re just not my thing. Additionally, one person’s idea of a murder mystery is different from another’s. Ask one person what it is and s/he will tell you that it is attending a dinner where the guests try to solve a “who done it” by witnessing, and perhaps interacting, with characters portrayed by actors. Now ask another person and you’ll receive an answer along the lines of “a party where a group of people role play characters involved with a murder, all guided by a game board and cards.”

The third reason I chose not to pursue or create a new murder mystery experience is that there are plenty of companies out there that already have them. Some do them quite well, I’m sure. So, why should/would I attempt to reinvent the wheel when I have no desire to do so?

BUT, all of this got me thinking and I realized I was missing something. After an unremembered amount of time, it hit me!

With DIEGO & DREW SAY I DO, I had co-created an incredibly well-received interactive, theatrical, dining experience. Why couldn’t I do it again and include team building?

I immediately began to brainstorm, outline, draft, write, and rewrite what would ultimately become MORTY TROUT’S RETIREMENT BLOWOUT . . . an interactive, theatrical, team building, dining experience. The premise is this . . .

Morty Trout, your company’s overnight custodian, is retiring after 50 years, the big boss is throwing him a retirement party to beat all others . . . and you’re invited! An eccentric party planner, wacky, yet lovable, family members, a YouTube celebrity, and Morty’s poker buddy, who’s not what you expect, create the perfect storm of hilarity in this over-the-top, interactive celebratory experience that is equal parts Entertaining, Exciting, and Engaging! From the moment the doors open, YOU - the party guests - have the opportunity to participate in the fun & games, win prizes, sing a duet with a diva, and compete in a dance-off to rival “Dancing With The Stars.” Remember to bring your appetite, as the festivities are complete with a full meal and beverages!

This wouldn’t be a “spectator show.” This would be (and, turned out to be) the real thing, where participants are “in the thick of it.” Having the good fortune to, over the years, work with and become friends with a variety of top theatrical professionals from Broadway, off-Broadway, national tours, cruise ships, and Las Vegas, I was able to collaborate with them in order to design a truly exceptional and unique interactive experience. To be able to also instill a great deal of teamwork and collaboration among participants is the icing on the cake.

After workshopping it and receiving terrific feedback (both accolades and constructive criticism), I further collaborated with some of the talent involved to refine and adapt the experience.

Almost immediately thereafter, I began the process again, creating a second experience with the same base idea and structure, but this time, the premise, and title, would be MY BEST FRIEND’S BABY SHOWER. This experience would even include a philanthropic component, where stuffed animals and fleece blankets would be created and donated to a worthy philanthropic organization. With the workshop scheduled for a few days after Labor Day 2019, the cast in place, and invitations sent out, we were ready to see what we had this time . . . and then an unexpected road block popped up . . . thank you very much, Hurricane Dorian. Fortunately, after some juggling, we were able to reschedule, workshop it, and again, tweak and refine the experience, based on feedback received.

Recognizing that an experience that requires five professional actors is costly, I wanted to create an experience with a smaller cast, available at a smaller cost to clients who had smaller teams. Remembering the conflict between two of the characters that appeared in both “Morty Trout” and “Baby Shower,” I devised the idea of DINNER & DUELING DUOS . . . a series of two-character, interactive, theatrical, team building, dining experiences. Just as the first one was in its final stage of creation, and ready for a workshop with a live, participatory audience, the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ugh, these unexpected road blocks! Well, that idea was shelved.

About 3 months into the pandemic, an actor acquaintance of mine created and posted on social media a short, improvised video featuring “Alligator Bru,” a character he created who riffed on life during the pandemic. That video set up shop in the back of my head. As the pandemic dragged on and on (how naive were we to think that we’d simply “shut down” for 2 or 3 weeks?!?!), and after thinking about it off and on, that video ultimately came bursting forward. In November, I met with that actor, and another with whom I had previously worked, and we had a casual drinks and dinner session, tossing around stories and ideas. After the holidays came and went, and I had watched far too many made-for-TV Christmas movies, inspiration finally struck. “Alligator Bru” became “Gator Bob,” a good ol’ country boy still living with his mama, who would be stuck hosting his internet radio show with a big-shot talk show host from the city. By removing the dining and the “in your face” team components, and then adding the use of personal, mobile devices, the DUELING DUOS series was born. Hey, here’s “adaptability” in play, yet again.

So what is the “takeaway” from this? I suppose it’s recognizing that when you think you’re not able to provide what has been requested, think outside of the box. What do you have to offer? It might ultimately be better than what was being asked of you, and result in your experience, whether it be one of team building or something entirely different, being all the better.