WEYAUWEGA – Wega Arts is turning back the clock to New Year’s Eve 1999, bringing a mix of millennium-eve paranoia, local talent and interactive sleuthing to the historic Gerold Opera House for its third annual murder mystery dinner theater event, “A Talent for Murder 1999 Y2K!”
Scheduled for Aug. 21 and 22, the original production invites audiences to watch a fictional 1999 talent show where one contestant meets an untimely demise. From there, the audience becomes part of the investigation, voting for the evening’s best performance and trying to identify the killer.
Wega Arts Executive Director Ian Teal explained that the series’ core concept lies in blending classic whodunit suspense with live theatrical performance across different historical periods.
“We wanted to combine a murder mystery with a talent show,” Teal said. “We then decided to set the show in different eras.”
The series launched in 2024 with a 1959 setting, which paid homage to Weyauwega’s local history by featuring “Psycho” author Robert Bloch as a fictionalized judge. Bloch, who wrote the iconic 1959 novel that inspired Alfred Hitchcock’s legendary film adaptation, was a resident of Weyauwega at the time. The 2025 iteration jumped forward two decades to 1979 during the height of the disco era.
This year’s performance centers on the turn of the millennium, capitalizing on the widespread anxiety surrounding the Y2K computer bug.
“There was a great concern that all the computer systems running everything from elevators to utilities would fail, as they were not originally programmed to operate past the year 1999,” Teal said.
The original script was penned by Brad Leonhardt, who has written all three installments in the series and is returning to direct the show.
Local talent from across Central Wisconsin was recruited through social media and regional theater networks to play the show’s eccentric talent contestants. The cast features several notable local performers, including Lori Bauer and Pam Gusmer, both regulars in Waupaca musicals and theater, alongside actors from Appleton and the wider Fox Valley area.
Rather than just watching the mystery unfold, the audience will play an active role in resolving it.
“Near the end of the show the audience will complete their paper ballots selecting their favorite act as well as who they think is guilty of murder,” Teal said.
The dinner service is integrated directly into the evening’s pacing. For a ticket price of $32, guests receive a pasta dinner, bread, salad and dessert, with a vegetarian option available. A full cash bar will also be operated by the venue.
“Dinner starts before the show and will help set the mood for the era,” Teal said, noting that dessert is saved for intermission.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. on both nights, with dinner beginning at 7:30 p.m. Seating is reserved at tables for eight, and guests can select their seats using the online seating map.
Despite the dark whodunit premise, Teal said that the production is designed to be family-friendly and lighthearted.
“Even though it is a murder mystery, the evening is kept light and, hopefully, entertaining for all,” Teal said.
Tickets can be purchased by visiting the Wega Arts website at wegaarts.org.
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