Rotherham young creatives hold sold-out murder-mystery night for Wentworth Woodhouse

Wentworth Woodhouse’s Young Producers. Top row, left to right: Brandon Steer, Tinahse Musaka, Suzie Cambell, Sophie Ellingham: Bottom row, left to right: L-R Megan Bradley, Harry Glover, Ellie Eagleton, Dylan Carratt

The challenging interactive event is the brainwave of a group of young local creatives, which is running throughout the Grade I-listed mansion.

All 300 free places for the Scene Of The Crime event event on June 21 were snapped up within hours of a social media announcement.

The murder scene is the grand Georgian Marble Saloon, where a party to celebrate a movie launch is in full swing.

Ticketholders will find actors performing around them, and then must set out for the State Rooms and beyond to work out how to solve the whodunnit via a series of interactive activities, from live scenarios to film flashbacks taking audiences to different movie eras.

The murder mystery night was dreamed up by nine “young producers” who make up the mansion’s 2023 House of Future Creatives team.

They will be helping Rotherham to prepare for 2025 when the borough becomes the world’s first Children’s Capital of Culture: a year-long festival created by children and young people, for everyone to enjoy.

All aged 16 to 24 and living, working or studyingy in Rotherham, their 14-week training programme started in February and saw them employed two days a week by Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust.

WWPT’s Steve Ash said: “We challenged them to produce a one-night event which could be turned into a crowd-puller at the Children’s Capital of Culture festival, and gave them total freedom.

“They dreamed up a real-life Cluedo game and worked incredibly hard, arranging everything from hair, make-up and costume to set design, script and timings.

“Clues and conundrums will need to be found and solved in nine of the mansion’s rooms. It will be good to see the mansion’s spaces used in new ways.

“Judging by how quickly Scene Of The Crime sold out, it's clear there is great potential for future Wentworth Woodhouse murder-mysteries.

“The house is keen to do more ‘experience’ events, having had great success with its Candlelight Tours and its Once Upon A Christmas event for families.”

This is the second time Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust has stepped in to help upskill young people in creative arts ahead of the Children’s Capital of Culture.

Last year, creative producers took over the house with a two-night event which included a premiere of the team’s very own movie.