The Honors College will present its annual murder mystery dinner Friday, and this year’s production, Mug Shot, continues the college’s tradition of the past decade.

“Like all murder mysteries, it involves an unexpected death,” said Dr. Joe Stephenson, assistant dean of the Honors College. “ACU is a place full of traditions, and this is one of the Honors College’s.”

Mug Shot introduces a diverse group of characters from a local TV station that come together for a dinner party, including a computer nerd, a doctor, an overly masculine professor, two college students and a paranoid hostess.

The varied group of characters gather, and things quickly take a turn for the worse for the cast and the audience alike. As with all murder mysteries, the audience is given the task of solving the crime and figuring out who the murderer is. This year’s production features a new twist; the crime must be solved before the intended murder is committed.

“The most exciting part is watching the audience trying to figure out who the murderer is,” said Amy Simpson Grubbs, administrative coordinator of the Theater Department and director of the dinner.

Traditionally, the Honors College has had something written, directed, and acted by honors students and alumni. The production, however, has evolved over the years. For a while, the students involved were given a kit and were expected to act out the situation suggested to them as more of an improv style show.

“One of the most interesting things about this production is that two of the characters are students.They bring a lot of sensibility to the show,” Grubbs said, “Also, the freshmen are bringing vitality and excitement to the show.”

The dinner and show will be in the North Lobby of the Williams Performing Arts Center at 6:30 p.m. Friday. Tickets can be purchased from cast members in the Campus Center during lunch or by calling the Honors College at (325) 674-2787.