The Maintenance Shop has become a crime scene – a murder has been committed during a theater production.

This is not, however, your ordinary theater performance. This is the Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre, and the play is “Murder is Margaritaland.”

Sponsored by the M-Shop and SUB, this is the Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre’s second performance, according to Samantha Davis, performing arts director of SUB.

The first event “was a big hit,” Davis said. “It sold out and the event was very successful.”

“Murder in Margaritaland” is an interactive audience drama, meaning the audience plays a part in the show. When guests arrive for the show, each individual is given a “character booklet” that has a nametag and a description of the character they will be playing, Davis said.

After being given their characters, the audience is allowed to wander the room during a “mocktail” hour to discover a little bit about the other characters. Close to the end of the hour the audience discovers a murder has been committed.

The audience then stays for dinner and “guests receive secret information about themselves that they can use to provide as evidence to help solve the crime,” Davis said.

Once dinner is finished, the audience is asked to guess who committed the murder, as well as vote for the best character performance and best dressed.

Once the votes are counted, the murderer is revealed, and the winners for best character and best dressed are announced.

After talking to the audience of last fall’s dinner theater, Davis said many believed the show was a success.

“[The audience] said they would love to participate again and would like it to become a regular event.”

“Murder in Margaritaland” will be performed at 6 p.m. Sunday in the M-Shop. Tickets are $17 for students and $22 for the public; tickets much be purchased by 5 p.m. Thursday.