LINN — Last weekend, Osage Community Players, Inc. (OCP) presented the play, “Dead Tuesday,” an Interactive Murder Mystery written by Scott Cherney, based on characters created by Jann Harrison at the Barefoot Event Center in Linn.

The premise: international playboy Francois Fibian is the only one who can solve the murder of a prominent New Orleans socialite during Mardi Gras, but he has his own problems: A voodoo curse is turning him into a frog.

Former Linn High School Drama Club actress Elana Dodson directed the play, the first time in community theater, though she directed plays in college.

She was excited about her debut. “I am pretty well-versed in comedies,” said Dodson. “I’ve only done a 10-minute play that was more of a tragedy, but I’ve never done a murder mystery, and I’ve never done one in this setting. Normal theaters are more of a proceeding art. So there’s more like a picture frame that you’re able to see the performance go through, whereas we’re doing more of a theater in our round, so the audience is going to be able to see almost all sides of the actors.”

“Dead Tuesday” included a lot of comedic aspects, despite the fact that it’s a murder mystery, and because the setting is Mardi Gras, a lot of the play involves voodoo magic. “When I first read the script, I didn’t quite understand the comedic aspect until my actors actually started acting them out while we were working on blocking,” said Dodson. “I think it’s a beautiful show. Everyone’s been doing such a great job so I think it’s a good play, because it’s really funny, cute, and quirky. Overall, I think it was a really great experience.”

Pulling everything together was challenging. “There were a few setbacks along the way,” Dodson said. “It’s been a bit of a challenge, but it’s definitely been worth it, I’d say, because seeing the results of everyone’s hard work is amazing.”

The Rustic Garden catered the event with a New Orleans style meal.

Cast list: Bob Boudreaux (Joe Kliethermes), Bunny Boudreaux (Lisa Hellman), Inspector Pierre Perrier (Chris McCormick), Dee Dee Demure (Kay Beesley), Francois Andre Midas Fibian V (Matthew Raymer), Lola Piccard (Triche Dodson, who also serves as the choreographer), and Gigi (Jill Tschappler).

Both shows were sold out.