Looking for a unique and entertaining way to spend an evening? Why not book the night with BigTime Murder Productions, a murder mystery company that produces dinner theatre and variety shows, tailored to your specific group and performed at a location of your choosing.
Peter Dillon is BigTime’s founder and President-At-Large. He is also the recipient of the Ottawa Business Journal 2005 Top Forty Under 40 award, and was named one of Ottawa Life Magazine’s Top 50 people.
Peter started the company over twenty years ago, having worked in similar establishments and wanting to branch out on his own. One of the reasons for creating BigTime was that, as an actor, Pete was finding it challenging to secure other employment that would still allow him the freedom to audition and work in front of the camera.
Pete took a business enterprise course, wrote up a business plan and applied for a loan. But success did not come right away. “I was hungry during those first ten years,” he mentions. “I did everything I could to promote my company.”
Pete considers BigTime unique, in that the company doesn’t have one particular location from which to work. The cast will come to you. In fact, they prefer that you have a hand in choosing the venue that best suits your group. That said, BigTime also offers packages in which they will take care of every single aspect of your evening.
BigTime has offices in Ottawa and Toronto, but they perform all over the world: St. Maartin, Bermuda, Chicago, Miami, Tampa, and coast to coast in Canada. One of the more memorable trips was to the Persian Gulf. The Canadian Military brought them overseas to entertain the troops. “That changed my life,” says Pete. For that particular event, they created a new production called BigTime IDOL Variety Show, the purpose being to uplift and inspire their audience.
BigTime offers a variety of different shows and packages. There is a D-I-Y Show (do it yourself), which caters to small dinner party mysteries (10-30 people), full corporate mysteries (10-400 people) and, as previously mentioned, BigTime IDOL shows (25-2000 people). Unlike other companies who might offer a regular public show, BigTime focuses on private party shows, with office parties being their specialty.
Regardless of the show that one chooses, Pete has a hand in every detail and takes his job very personally. “I love it when my expectations are exceeded. We do our job properly, and our clients can sit back, relax and enjoy themselves.”
I wondered if it ever gets monotonous, performing similar shows a few nights a week. “It’s become somewhat of a science, sure,” responds Pete. “But it’s constantly being redefined. When you are working with an interactive audience, anything can and will happen. That sense of spontaneity always keeps us on our toes and provides for a very entertaining evening.”
For additional information, testimonials, press, photos, cast bio’s, FAQ’s, and booking information, visit them online here.