plays by author playwright Pilar Pringiers Archives

murder mystery play

LEONARDO – MURDER MYSTERY PLAY SET IN THE TIME OF LEONARDO DA VINCI

The time: The late 1400’s. The place: Renaissance Italy. Leonardo da Vinci, already a notable artist and inventor is called upon by one of his clients, Mona Lisa to solve the mystery of the mysterious illness and subsequent death of a her sister who is nun in the covent of San Domenico. Rumours of her being with an illegitimate child abound, but also the presence of an unusual book, containing content that may not have been sanctioned by the church is found in her belongings.

Leonardo must solve the mystery of first of all how she died, and secondly, who killed her. Using a combination of wits, alchemy and good old fashioned detective work he unearths the mystery surrounding her death and perhaps that of Christ himself.

PRODUCTION HISTORY

Landstown High School Theatre, VA, USA – 2019

Read other plays by Pilar Pringiers Spinnox – Anastasia Romanova – an alternative history play

Author: Pilar Pringiers Spinnox

Type: Two-act play

Genre: Murder mystery script

Cast: 8M,8F, 1N (uo to sc 8 incl mother superior)

Ages of the actors: Adult

Suitable for: PG 12 (odd reference to sex)

Length: Seventy five minutes

Set: Various: Leonardo’s studio, a market, a bar and various rooms in an Abbey, a church, a cloister and a library

Level of difficulty: 7/10 A complex piece, perfect for Drama departments. On the surface, a simple detective plot with overtones of CSI, Bones and Sherlock but contains a lot of subtext. In addition, the play uses dancers to express the emotion of the scenes and sometimes a choir is used for the same purpose. The director’s challenge is to synchronise the players with the dancers and the music. Permission of the playwright may be sought to omit the dancing and live music if need be.

Read a Sample of the Script

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Copyright © January 2019 Pilar Pringiers Spinnox and Off the Wall Play Publishers

Like this play? Other whodunits that will fascinate you:

Crooked hand – funny film noir script
Merriweather’s Murderous Weekend – when a murder party goes wrong…
The Lady of the Lake murder – an Arthurian whodunit

play about Russian Romanov dynasty

ANASTASIA ROMANOVA – ALTERNATIVE HISTORY PLAY ABOUT RUSSIAN ROMANOV DYNASTY

It is the final days of the rule of the Russian Romanov dynasty. Communism is taking hold and their power is growing. Against a backdrop of fake news and revolution, the grand duchess, Anastasia, plays a childish prank on her family, in which she swaps places with a scullery girl who looks like her. The game becomes serious when Anastasia masquerading as the servant is sent off to work in a factory while the family are murdered by the Communists.

Anastasia escapes from the factory and, helped by members of the clergy, after much hardship including prostitution, abortion and a mental breakdown survives in a broken down Germany and lives out her life there. A romanticised tale that is still steeped in history, a tale of the last years of Anastasia Romanova. Play about Russian Romanov dynasty.

Other plays by Pilar – Santa’s Holiday – a South African comedy panto.

Author: Pilar Pringiers Spinnox

Type: Two act play, play about Russian Romanov dynasty

Genre: Drama, alternative history – a “what if she had escaped?” play

Cast: It needs a big cast: 23 M and 14-15 F

Ages of the actors: Suitable for high school up

Suitable for: Teens up

Length: 90 minutes

Set: A few scene changes but easily accomplished as many are set outdoors and other require the use of simple furnishings like chairs.

Level of difficulty: 8/10 Needs competent direction and actors. A good lighting operator will help set the mood in the various scenes.