Who killed Mr. Boddy? Was it Colonel Mustard in the library with the wrench?

Or perhaps it was Mrs. Peacock in the kitchen with the dagger? 

This is precisely what the cast and crew of UMass Dartmouth’s 20 Cent Fiction Theater Company hope audiences can figure out in its production of “Clue” later this week.

“We’re excited to get going,” said Show Director Jillian Yates.

Yates was previously the assistant director in the company’s fall production of its annual “Rocky Horror Picture Show” shadow cast.

The show, based on the 1985 film (in turn based on the classic board game), tells the story of six mysterious guests who come to a dinner party at a remote mansion in which the host, Mr. Boddy, turns up dead.

Each guest has their own motivation for the death.

To get her actors into those mindsets, Yates said there were a lot of read-throughs conducted via

Discord — a voice, video, and text chat app — upon returning from winter break.

During sessions, Yates said she would provide notes to really let her actors know the background of the character heading into that fateful dinner.

The other suggestion was to “go big” during rehearsal.

“The more you push the caricature level of the character, the more you’re going to reach that character,”  she said. “If you go too far, you’ll know and reel in those elements.”

The choice to do “Clue,” Yates said, was at the suggestion of a 20 Cent alumnus. The proposal was then up for a vote and approved by the theater company.

“We’re a democracy here,” Yates said.

Similar to the 1985 classic whodunit starring Tim Curry, 20 Cent Fiction’s production will feature multiple endings, with a final conclusion on who the real killer is.

“We can’t deviate from the script, otherwise we get sued,” Yates said with a laugh.

Getting the show ready for the upcoming premiere took a lot of moving parts — literally.

Yates noted that work on the show officially began upon return from winter break. Part of that work was crafting a set including  “spinning triangles” which can quickly change the set to the different rooms of Mr. Boddy’s mansion.

Rather than going for a “realistic” depiction of a manor, the rooms are painted with a two-dimensional “board game-esque style.” There are also “secret” passages cast can use to “get around the mansion,” also similar to the game.

Yates, who noted this was her first time directing for the theater company, said setting things up for the premiere has been “a real learning curve,” but an experiment “that’s been fulfilling.”

“Clue” will premiere Friday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. at the university’s Angus A. Bailey Main Auditorium. Additional shows will be held on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 8 p.m.; Sunday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m.

Tickets, which can be purchased at the door,  are $5 for UMass Dartmouth students, $10 for alumni/staff, and $15 for the general public.  

Parking is available in lots 4 and 5.