Murder Mystery evening with Moonstone Theatre Company

£39.95 per person

Enjoy a three course dinner in stunning surroundings with Moonstone Theatre Company for an evening of intriguing plots and suspicious characters – and help identify the dastardly perpetrator of a heinous crime.

Moonstone, a theatrical outfit based in the South West, have created this evening especially for Dartington Hall – with a plot that draws on real events from Dartington’s heritage.

The Seymour Legacy – Murder at Dartington Hall

Please note that this is a fictional story based on Dartington Hall's rich history

It is 1935 and, at Dorothy and Leonard Elmhirst’s Dartington Hall, many famous and noted artists of the day flock to this lovely part of Devon. George Bernard Shaw and Bertrand Russell are numbered among the literary figures that visit.

Not far from the Hall sits the ruined Berry Pomeroy Castle where a small group of amateur archaeologists are at work, led by Professor David Carter. Berry Pomeroy was once home to the Seymour family, perhaps best known for the role played by Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector to Edward VI, son of Henry VIII. His descendant Sir Edward Seymour, 2nd Baronet, (1580 – 1659), a contemporary of William Shakespeare, was the son of Sir Edward Seymour, 1st Baronet and his wife was Elizabeth Champernowne - daughter of Sir Arthur Champernowne, of Dartington Hall.

In their excavations, the archaeologists, who were staying at Dartington Hall, uncovered an old chest of Sir Edward’s buried beneath the cellars of the castle which seemed to contain a very valuable and hitherto unknown copy of William Shakespeare’s First Folio. However, last night Professor Carter was found murdered at the Hall and the First Folio had disappeared.

Who was the killer and where was the book? The suspects appeared to be a motley collection of amateur archaeologists. According to them, Professor Carter had been well liked but, as the evening progresses, tensions rise and secrets are revealed. There is another death.

Because of the high profile nature of both the theft and the murder, Detective Chief Inspector Charles Appleby of Scotland Yard has been called in to lead the investigation. All the clues will be there to lead to the killer but will they be correctly deduced? Chief Inspector Appleby, with the help of the other guests at the Hall, is determined to get to the truth before the night is out.

For more information visit https://www.dartington.org/whats-on/event/?id=97797