The fourth play on your summer list is my prom murder mystery Blood & Sequins! This play is hilarious and snappy, with tons of fun plot twists and turns. It's a sure thing that everyone on and off stage will have the best time producing this play. Want more specifics? Here's why you should give Blood & Sequins both a read and a serious consideration for your upcoming season:
Looking for a brand new Who-Dunnit?
If you're like me, you're a big fan of murder mysteries. And while I have nothing against putting on one of the classics (who doesn't love Agatha Christie?), it's also exciting to put up a show that no one knows who the killer is. Blood & Sequins takes place over one single evening, and if the characters can't figure out who's behind the murders soon, there will be no one left… Except the murderer that is.
Looking for a play with a range of parts for young ladies?
By now you might know already, but I love writing a wide variety of characters for young women to jump into. This play has 11 characters that use she/her pronouns, and they are all different and hilarious. Blood & Sequins includes one good-at-everything prom queen, an all-star athlete, a conniving politician, an outsider that no one can remember the name of, and many more! Nearly all of whom also get exaggerated and ridiculous death scenes as an added bonus. Ever wonder, could a Roomba could kill? This play answers that very important question!
Looking for a play to excite budding designers?
This play is not only an exciting romp for actors, there's also a lot for young designers to sink their teeth into. It's a dark and stormy night punctuated by screams, for a sound designer, the old spooky house that's held together by only spider webs and dread, for a scenic designer, and, of course, 13 prom outfits that fake blood can wash out of, for a costume designer.
Looking for a full-length that keeps your audience laughing and guessing until the end?
After I wrote the first draft of Blood & Sequins I asked my teenage daughter to give it a read and every time she thought she knew who the killer was, to write down the name, and she was stumped until the ending! That draft ended up making the rounds through her friend group and it gave them all plenty of laughs as well as a surprise at the end.
If you need more convincing, here's the full synopsis of Blood & Sequins:
When the most popular kids from Salem High find themselves in an abandoned mansion on Prom night, it doesn’t take long before they realize they’ve been duped in an elaborate revenge prank. But things move from annoying to terrifying when a girl drops dead from a poisoned Capri Sun. With no way out, they’ve got to figure out who among them is the killer or end up just as dead. A night to remember? More like a night they won’t ever be able to forget.
Blood & Sequins is a full-length play, running about 90 minutes, with a cast of 13 (11 she/her, 2 he/his). Find Blood & Sequins through Brooklyn Publishers.
Happy almost July!