Peace, joy and murder?

Many a holiday pageant has gone awry.

Whether it is a wise man tripping on his robes, or a shepherd accidentally spearing another performer, a production of a holiday pageant is always ripe for mischief.

Coeur d’Alene Murder Mystery Theatre takes these shenanigans a step further when everything goes to pieces behind the scenes of a pageant. The storyline of “The Worst Holiday Pageant Ever” is simple enough, at first.

“For the leaders, organizing the Holiday Pageant has always been more of a chore than a joy. Up until this year, the holiday pageant director has only ever thought about murdering some of the cast in a somewhat joking manner, but now things have gotten stressful. This year, someone has been murdered for real, and it is shaping up to be truly the worst holiday pageant ever,” said Brook Bassett, the director and writer of the show.

The owner of the theater company, Tracey Vaughan, reminds patrons that dressing up is always an option when taking in one of Coeur d’Alene Murder Mystery Theatre’s interactive shows.

“Audience members are always welcome to dress up, and in this case, you could wear your favorite holiday gear or ugly Christmas sweater. Every show we produce is a comedy, so we like to encourage audiences to have fun,” Vaughan said.

Dressing up in the holiday spirit doesn’t necessarily mean an audience member will have to participate.

“We always gauge how comfortable each audience member is about getting a little more involved in the show. If we know they are game, we will ask them to participate more; otherwise, they are welcome to observe and ask questions,” Vaughan said.

There are performances of “The Worst Holiday Pageant Ever” at the Jacklin Arts and Cultural Center on Nov. 10 and 17 and at the Coeur d’Alene Cellars Winery on Dec. 8 and 15. The number of seats are limited for each show, so they advise you to book soon.

Info: cdamurdermysterytheatre.com