Fortunately, there are clues.

A weapon was found on the scene, discovered to be a witty, dramatic, five-act dinner theater production called The Sinister Sarcophagus, written and performed by the Festival Theatre Ensemble.

The motive appears to be to raise money for an alleged summer Shakespeare festival at Oak Meadow Park in Los Gatos.

Details about the night are hazy, but there are several prime suspects involved with the Feb. 22 murder mystery production.

Jennifer Selden, the producer, appears to be heavily involved with the planning of the evening in question, which she describes as a "very jovial, very fun evening. ... It's mysterious but still comical." Further investigation of this claim is uncertain at best, but a rough outline of the evening's activities might prove beneficial to her case.

During a cocktail hour starting at 6 p.m. in the foyer of the hotel, costumed guests will have the opportunity to mingle with one another and bid on silent auction items, including two tickets to the premiere of Ballet San Jose's The Tempest, a weekend package in Campbell, massage gift certificates and a performance of the ensemble's instructional program, The Shakespeare Connection: Monsters and Clowns, to be performed at the winner's selected elementary school.

The first act includes characters such as a movie star, an aristocrat and a mystery novelist. Guests are given a notepad and encouraged to use it. In front of them is also a newspaper, which may contain clues. A salad break follows the first act, at which time the actors disperse through the crowd, providing hints and taking bribes for information. Whether the information is correct, however, is another matter.

The performance "is tailor-made for audience members who might not be theatergoers normally," says Mark Pickens, the author of the play. "The whole premise is to see some of the show, break and eat, see more show, eat ... everything is in small, bite-sized chunks."

Also playing the role of the rich aristocrat, Pickens appears to be highly suspicious due to his connection with the performed material. In addition to The Sinister Sarcophagus, he has written six other murder mysteries, including Airship of Fools, which was performed last year for the first annual Shakespeare festival fundraiser and is a prequel to this year's play.

"This year we picked Sinister Sarcophagus because everyone enjoyed it so much," Pickens says. This play, in addition to the six others, was penned years ago, when the ensemble routinely performed murder mysteries during its off season.

Pickens writes full-length plays as well but says he has a great deal of fun with these murder mysteries. "There is nothing funny about murder, but we have seen a lot of wacky shows and situations that we can have fun with," he says. "I tend to write period pieces because they take [the audience] out of their time. They're unique, and you might learn something, because the shows are written around actual historical fact."

Pickens says he enjoys giving the audience a lot to absorb. "Being an actor certainly helps because I can watch these things and it cracks me up," he says. "Nothing is better than watching the works and people you created fleshed out and come to life. My favorite parts are when I'm not speaking and I can watch the audience and see all the smiles and intense looks."

One of those audience members will be Mary Tomasi-Dubois, an avid local theater enthusiast. She and her husband, Paul Dubois, were instrumental in getting the ensemble permission and a venue for performances last summer. She is not believed to be as suspicious as some of the others involved, but her enthusiasm might just be covering up a menacing secret.

"The troop puts on a very, very professional show," she says. "I have been to many other [murder mystery dinners] and, well, they are usually very hoaky. This is very polished. ... It's just fun."

Ensemble founder and artistic director Bruce De Les Dernier—highly suspicious due to the nature of his position within the ensemble—can't help but agree.

"I am so proud because it is a very classy, intelligent murder mystery," he says. "The humor is highbrow, Agatha Christie­type stuff, and the actors are just fabulous."

With the play's snappy dialogue, guests need to throw out old notions that the show is about dinner with some entertainment on the side.

"I think it is a full evening of entertainment," Pickens says. "It is very unique, the Cadillac of murder mysteries—we try to put a very high-quality gloss on it. It is not quickly thrown together; everything is scripted, except during dinner breaks. We put some of our best people on this event."

Guests are rewarded for their studious efforts, as several prizes are given, Selden explains. During coffee, after the performance has ended, guests make their guesses. The person with the most correct answers wins a secret first prize, as does the person who got the least amount right.

"Ironically, whenever there are young people in the audience, like a 10-year-old, they will always win—they are so much better than the adults," De Les Dernier says, musing whether it is a matter of adults over-thinking the mystery or the drinks that have been in their hands throughout the night.

Despite some questions still hovering about the night-in-question, one thing is sure about the mystery—how happy the ensemble is to have a performing venue in Los Gatos.

"The community has provided great support," Selden says. "We are thrilled to have Los Gatos host us. Our goal was always to be here. It's so great."

Proceeds from the murder mystery dinner will be used to fund the second annual Los Gatos Shakespeare Festival. Tickets for the "Sinister Sarcophagus" will be on sale until Feb. 20 and are $85 for a single ticket, or $75 each for two or more people. The dinner will be held at the Toll House Hotel, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. Dinner includes a choice of New York steak or chicken merlot (vegetarian meal upon request) with salad and chocolate raspberry moon cake. Tickets can be obtained by calling 408.996.0635. For more information, visit www.festivaltheatreensemble.org.