Past Productions: Mystery at the Rider Mansion

The 2023-2024 Barrier-Free ensemble in Carmel, IN had their sights set on a story with a big family gathering. They wanted a show that represented lots of different family relationships and dynamics. And let's throw in a bit of mystery...a whodunnit. Put it all together, and you get Mystery at the Rider Mansion!

This story centered on a large extended family, the Rider family, gathering for their first Thanksgiving since their grandmother's passing. Each family unit within the extended family comes with their own set of dynamics and disfunctions. A politician mom up for reelection, a remarried couple and their blended family, prank pulling kids, even a marriage proposal at the dinner table! As if that's not enough, there's the matter of inheritances to deal with. Who gets grandma's prized jeweled necklace? The debate sparks a number of attempts to swipe the family heirloom. Luckily, there is a detective in the family and, with some help from the audience (who got to vote in real time for who they thought the culprit was!) it is revealed that a real estate agent who felt shorted a commission took the necklace.

As twisting and turning as the plot was, the cast and crew had a clear focus in the telling of this story: family is everything. Even when problems are thrown our way, even when its our family members themselves that are driving us crazy, we'll get through it together.

Mystery at the Rider Mansion was directed by Sarah Fenster and Deborah Fisher at the Monon Community Center in Carmel, Indiana in 2023-2024.