Charlie and the Murder at the Chestnut Factory
Charlie’s Chestnut Factory was voted one of the ten best places to work in the world by Fordes Business Magazine! Unfortunately, you can only find this rating in older magazines. The Claus family founded the company in 1901 and after going public two years ago, things have deteriorated in every way imaginable. The once happy and almost magical factory has turned into a gloomy cave of complaining drones. Profits seem to be high on the surface but the financial status of the company is crashing at a fast pace!
Charlie Claus, IV is the CEO and the only other living heir of the Claus family is Chris Claus who works as Charlie’s assistant. These two are doing their best to figure out what is going wrong with their factory but the Board of Directors, the External Auditors from Earnest & Olde and some of the implants they have hired to work in the factory all seem to be against each point of the original company mission created by the founder, Charlie Claus, Sr., in 1901 which was: Provide the best quality chestnuts at the most affordable prices while maintaining the happiest employees on Earth.
With departmental budgets slashed to pennies and without warning - the annual holiday bonus checks turned into a mere fruitcake, the employees of the factory have reached an all-time low. Resumes are flying out the door to other companies and now the employees have given up on the company’s mission.
Charlie Claus, known in the past as Mr. Christmas, is trying to salvage the holiday party for the employees but given his company’s financial situation, his own salary has been cut drastically. Out of his own pocket, he is hosting this party but can only afford the bare minimum.
The annual holiday party is scheduled for the Budget Motor Inn Ballroom and the employees are asked to pull together and make the party work. They have come together as a team and donated holiday décor and Charlie and Chris are catering the event themselves! Given the circumstances, the holiday spirits of most employees seem to be rekindling! It’s almost time for the party kickoff and this is where your story begins…
Invited Guests
EBENEZER CRUDE
Financial Director
Everyone knows that it is Ebenezer Crude that truly runs Charlie’s Chestnut Factory! This neurotic Financial Director keeps everyone’s department under an ultra-strict budget. Not one penny is spent without Ebenezer Crude’s approval and he’s growing increasingly difficult to get along with lately! Maybe it’s the stress of his job or simply old age but something’s definitely taking its toll on his spirits! Especially his holiday spirits!
Costume suggestions: Designer &/or expensive looking business casual attire. Fake money, company checks coming out of various pockets.
HOLLY NOEL
Human Resources Director
Holly Noel is the gossiping Human Resources Director for Charlie’s Chestnut Factory. There’s not a secret to be told nor heard that Holly hasn’t been a part of! She does have her good side, however, as she constantly fights to make the factory an ideal working environment for the employees - minus the rumor spreading, that is!
Costume suggestions: Business casual attire.
CHARLIE CLAUS
Chief Executive Officer
Charlie Claus is the elusive yet friendly Chief Executive Officer of Charlie’s Chestnut Factory. A tad mysterious, this leader is infamous for creeping down the office suite hallways and throughout the factory lines as if in stealth mode! Charlie has always had a glowing and contagious Christmas spirit but something is definitely giving this CEO the blues this year!
Costume suggestions: Formal attire (i.e. tux, etc.). Large top hat and cane (optional).
CHRIS CLAUS
Executive Assistant to Charlie Claus
Chris Claus is the spunky sibling of Charlie Claus and a dedicated and loyal Executive Assistant. A once family-owned business, Charlie’s Chestnut Factory was one of the happiest places to work on Earth! A lot has happened in the past few years and now, the factory has grown cold and lifeless with unhappy workers on the factory lines. Chris’s mission is to find out the underlying cause and fix it before the factory is doomed! Business casual attire.
Costume suggestions: A Santa Claus hat as you love to spread ‘Christmas cheer! “
BOBBY TAILMAN
Factory Floor Supervisor
Bobby Tailman is the uber-energetic Factory Floor Supervisor of Charlie’s Chestnut Factory. A long-time employee of the factory, Bobby has seen the factory employee’s spirits declining over the two years since the company went public. He has recently proclaimed that the ‘factory morale has hit rock bottom.’ Rumor has it that Bobby’s resume has hit a lot of competitor’s desks lately.
Costume suggestions: Business casual attire. An optional hard hat or caution vest with your suit. As an alternative, you can wear a factory worker costume.
VIXEN DASHER
General Manager
Originally hailing from southern Mississippi, Vixen Dasher is the detail-oriented General Manager of Charlie’s Chestnut Factory. A strict follower of the factory rules, Vixen will be the first one to let you know if you’ve done something wrong. Vixen is the last person at the factory that you’d ever think about double crossing…if you value your paycheck!
Costume suggestions: Business casual attire. An optional stop watch or clock and a note pad so you can take notes of the employee’s wrongdoings during the party.
SILVEN BELLS
Factory Inventory Manager
One of the most quiet and reserved employees at Charlie’s Chestnut Factory, Silven Bells holds the vital position of Factory Inventory Manager. It seems that lately that Silven’s been a target of Ebenezer Crude’s harsh financial policies as Silven has been spending most of the day taking a daily inventory of the entire factory! Nobody knows what Silven did to make Ebenezer mad but it must have been something quite drastic!
Costume suggestions: Business casual attire. An optional clipboard or file with the company’s fake inventory on it (optional).
PONY SETIA
Chestnut Factory Worker
Pony Setia is the carefree Chestnut Picker at Charlie’s Chestnut Factory. Pony lives to be in the open air of the Chestnut Tree Farm behind the factory as it makes Pony feel one with nature. Pony also cares for a large flower garden and greenhouse full of fresh herbs at home and plans to open a nursery one day in the somewhat near future. Some say that the antisocial Pony makes a better friend to plants than people.
Costume suggestions: Gardener attire. Optional to bring any type of flowers, chestnuts, herbs, etc. with you to show / try to sell to the other guests.
COMET LOOMPA
Chestnut Factory Worker
Everyone in the factory knows that the eccentric Comet Loompa is a force to be reckoned with! Comet Loompa is known for sporting a white over-sized factory coverall and a fuzzy green wig while roasting the chestnuts every day on the factory line. Most of the factory workers find this to be a disturbing habit and have tried to prevent Comet from expressing her/himself in this manner. However, it’s probably best to just leave this one alone.
Costume suggestions: White coveralls and a green wig. Make yourself as eccentric as possible. Some fake pill bottles (empty) as optional props as you have run out of your prescribed medication.
GRINCHY MISTLETOE
Technology Director
If you care about productivity and deadlines, you better hope that you never have a major problem related to technology at Charlie’s Chestnut Factory! This lazy, slow-acting IT Director has the words hurry, fast and rush missing from their vocabulary! Grinchy defines the phrase ‘slow as Christmas’ and has unfortunately been the downfall of many employees lately!
Costume suggestions: Sloppy, wrinkled business casual attire. If you have extra computer accessories, have them as optional props coming out of your pockets.
PAUL NORTH
Sales Manager
Paul North is the fun-loving Chestnut Sales Manager at Charlie’s Chestnut Factory. He is quick to tell a joke to cheer you up and lightning-fast at pulling a prank the moment you turn your back! You never know what you’ll get with Paul and his team of sales personnel!
Costume suggestions: Trendy business casual attire. Optional to bring practical jokes, jokes, magic tricks with you of any kind.
JACKIE FROST
Chestnut Factory Worker
Jackie Frost is the wild and crazy Roasted Chestnut Packer at Charlie’s Chestnut Factory. As a designated Team Leader, she runs her team of packers in a chaotic manner but hey…whatever she is doing is working as her productivity is at an all–time high! Even in light of the current dreary working conditions, her team seems to make it work for them. Chris Claus is dying to know what her secret is!
Costume suggestions: Work coveralls or other factory style uniform. Optional to bring packages of roasted chestnuts to show how your department is packing them nowadays.
JAY BELLROCK
Service Department Manager
Intellectual charisma is the perfect phrase to sum up Jay Bellrock! Jay is the super smart Service Department Manager of Charlie’s Chestnut Factory. If anything needs a fixin’ – just call Jay - he is a truly gifted handyman! From painting the highest outdoor light fixtures to troubleshooting machinery – there’s absolutely nothing that Jay can’t do! You’d never guess it, but Jay is a secret Ivy-Leaguer with multiple degrees, licenses and certifications but prefers ‘Blue Collar’ employment.
Costume suggestions: Work coveralls or other factory style uniform.
DEKEN Z. HALZ
Chestnut Factory Worker
Deken Z. Halz hails all the way from Belgium and moved to the United States for a job at Charlie’s Chestnut Factory as a Chestnut Sorter because she got her hands on an old edition of Fordes Business Magazine and saw it was rated one of the top ten places to work in the world! With her thick French-Belgian accent and tattoos covering a large portion of her body, she tends to stand out in the crowd!
Costume suggestions: Work coveralls or other factory style uniform. Temporary tattoos all over your exposed skin (if you don’t already have them!)
Life is one party at a time.
Now, it's time to have fun with your party. Always stay in character and make the experience your own. Get ready for a memorable time with your friends!