1. More People Stay at Home – for Murder
More people stay at home – for Murder!
The leading operator in the “Murder Weekends” market is reporting a marked increase in bookings for this Autumn. Joy Swift’s Original Murder Weekends reaches a unique milestone in September 2008 – its 100th plot - and bookings are already impressive.
The company’s founder and managing director is Joy Swift MBE. She says, “We can’t yet tell why people are booking this particular plot. It’s possibly because Original Murder Weekends are at a very special milestone, and people are coming back especially for the 100th event. Or it could be that people have recognised the value and convenience of stay-at-home holidays. We still have plenty of places available, but sales are looking good given the gloomy economic climate. Certainly, our experience in the recession of the early Nineties was that when money was tight, people took just one memorable holiday – 1992 was our best year ever.”
Original Murder Weekends’ 100th plot – “100 Not Out!” – will be performed all over the country. In a nod to Agatha Christie (who only managed 97 plots!), Joy has chosen a classic murder mystery theme – all set around the village cricket team. Amazingly, Joy has never written a village-based murder plot before now.
“I think the secret of our success is three-fold”, says Joy. “First – we don’t make it easy! People love to test their brains on fiendishly difficult puzzles and twists – we always have at least three murders to solve. That means there’s a real sense of satisfaction in figuring out whodunnit. Secondly – we’re highly realistic. We use TV-quality make-up, topical themes and actors who can be pretty full-on when they’re asked to play adulterers, psychopaths or masochists! But ultimately, the real secret of success is that we have fun! People dress up, make new friends and generally let themselves play! Time and again we’re told how much guests laughed during the weekend.”
Joy Swift invented the murder weekends interactive theatre concept in 1981 and has spawned an industry around the world, with interactive restaurants, murder weekends, murder nights, murder cruises and boxed dinner party games. Since then, Joy’s company has staged murder weekends across the UK, USA, Europe – and (of course!) on the Nile. It’s estimated that over 100,000 people have turned sleuth on Joy’s weekends alone … and some have even cracked 30 or more plots.
Joy Swift is available for interview and makes an excellent sofa guest and interviewee
If you would like to review one of Joy Swift’s Original
Murder Weekends for your publication or programme,
please telephone 0151 924 1124 or email joy@murder.co.uk
