Otter Productions
                                                                                                                         (tm)

production team


                    Next Show at Rockfield Manor in Bel Air Maryland                     Friday August 7 - see details below

We are a Maryland and Pennsylvania based group of comic performers specializing in improvisational comedy which usually translates as murder mysteries, comic improv, musical showcases, and shows that can be created to fit the environment and the audience. 

....................................................................................................................................

The Patriot- News of Harrisburg Pennsylvania described what we do.......
 

Trains, boats give life to murder-mysteries
Sunday, June 08, 2008 
BY MARY O. BRADLEY
Of The Patriot-News 

The stage moves, the audience interacts with the actors, the script crackles with improvisation and the fragrance of food wafts through the dining room. 

A murder-mystery on a passenger train or a river boat is a menu for fun -- once the audience loses its inhibitions. 

"At first, the polite ones have to be encouraged that it's OK to talk to us," said Herb Otter, producer of Herb Otter Productions, a Baldwin, Md., entertainment company. "We encourage people to have fun, which is in very little supply these days," said Otter, whose ensemble presents murder mysteries at The Middletown & Hummelstown Railroad. 
.............
"We'll start the show in one coach and we then move the action to the second coach," said Otter, who has been doing murder-mysteries since the 1990s. The first actors will then start the next scene in the second coach and move to the first coach. 

Although the actors have a script, "we don't actually repeat it word for word. We do it improvisational style. We could do it differently in the next car even though we are giving the same information out," Otter said. 

Sticking to a script would not involve the audience so much, Otter said. However, regardless of how the actors improvise, "we never change the basic information. There's only one solution to the mystery." 
For veteran actors, the improvisation technique is effortless. Actors new to murder-mystery ensembles practice until they get the rhythm of interacting with the passengers, Otter said.
............
MARY O. BRADLEY: 255-8147 or mbradley@patriot-news.com 
 

©2008 The Patriot-News
© 2008 PennLive.com All Rights Reserved.
 

see full story from The Patriot-News
 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
                      Upcoming Public Shows: 2009    

 

Saturday July 18, 2009 - M & H RR - Middletown, Pa. - 1-717-944-4435 - comical mystery 

Sunday July 19, 2009 - The Black-Eyed Susan - Fells Point in Baltimore - 410-342-6960 - mystery and improv - show title:  An Animated Murder.  

.............................................................................................................................................

Friday August 7, 2009 - Rockfield Manor - Bel Air, Maryland - mystery and improv - show title: Foul Play - tickets $35.  Light fare with cash bar (Beer & Wine).  Contact Herb at Otter Productions at 410-817-4475 or Jane at Rockfield Manor

Saturday August 8, 2009 - The Black-Eyed Susan - Fells Point in Baltimore - 410-342-6960 - mystery and improv - show title:  Well Versed, Published & Extinct.  

Saturday August 8, 2009 -  Grandale Farm in Neersville, Va. (7 miles from Harpers Ferry, WVA) - details coming soon.

Saturday August 15, 2009 - M & H RR - Middletown, Pa. - 1-717-944-4435 - comical mystery  

Sunday August 23, 2009 - The Black-Eyed Susan - Fells Point in Baltimore - 410-342-6960 - mystery and improv - show title:  A Hollywood Party to Remember.  
................................................................................................................................................ 

Friday September 4, 2009 - Rockfield Manor - Bel Air, Maryland - mystery and improv - show title: You Auto Be Dead - tickets $35.  Light fare with cash bar (Beer & Wine).  Contact Herb at Otter Productions at 410-817-4475 or Jane at Rockfield Manor

Saturday September 5, 2009 - The Black-Eyed Susan - Fells Point in Baltimore - 410-342-6960 - mystery and improv - show title:  Lions & Tigers & Bears, Oh My!  

Saturday September 12, 2009 - M & H RR - Middletown, Pa. - 1-717-944-4435 - comical mystery  

Saturday September 26, 2009 - The Black-Eyed Susan - Fells Point in Baltimore - 410-342-6960 - mystery and improv - show title:  Mild Thing.     

..............................................................................................................................................
Saturday October 10, 2009 - M & H RR - Middletown, Pa. - 1-717-944-4435 - comical mystery  

Saturday October 17, 2009 - The Black-Eyed Susan - Fells Point in Baltimore - 410-342-6960 - mystery and improv - show title:  Pier Pressure.  

Sunday October 25, 2009 - The Black-Eyed Susan - Fells Point in Baltimore - 410-342-6960 - mystery and improv - show title:  Royal Order of Guys Named Bill.
..............................................................................................................................................
Saturday November 14, 2009 - M & H RR - Middletown, Pa. - 1-717-944-4435 - comical mystery 

Friday-Sunday November 13-15, 2009 - The French Manor, Sterling, Pa.  1-877- 720-6090 - mystery weekend - A 30's Hollywood.

..............................................................................................................................................

see details of public shows & venues below

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Below you will find current projects and the eclectic diversity of our talents.  We as individuals have not just years but decades of experience in the entertainment industry including just about any venue you can imagine.  Just with Otter Productions alone we have conservatively near 100 corporate accounts in our experience; we have been in business since 1995.
 

    Originally we were formed to provide murder mysteries aboard dinner trains in both the Maryland and Pennsylvania areas; some of us performed on trains previous to this for other organizations.  We did so with extreme success both on the Entertrainment Line in Western Maryland as well as the Liberty Limited in New Freedom, Pennsylvania.  We have been in central Pennsylvania performing for the last few years.   Currently we do shows on the Middletown &Hummelstown Railroad, just outside of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  The next train here is Saturday July 18, 2009  
Baseball Tycoon
 
 

     Our new purpose or mission is to provide the best interactive audience participatory comical performances which are second to none.  Our style is improvisational which is different from other companies.  Other groups tend to have part script and part improvisational performance; there is interaction with audience members but for limited periods of time.  We, instead of having a performance depending on the vision of a director, let the team of performers provide their best interpretation and support for other members of the team.  The fluidity of the show then fits the needs of the night and audience, allowing performers the flexibility to provide, at a moments notice, their best efforts.
 

  Why should you care?  If you want a traditional theatrical experience, then there is a certain experience you will expect.  Most of us come from this background where we have had much success.  The play is over there or up there and the audience is over here observing.  Interacting or changing what has been pre-determined may prove difficult.  There is no doubt that this is a wonderful art form.  We don't want to compete with this; we just love to do something different which is more of an exaggeration of real life.
 

    We do not live in a plug and play world.  All the best plans often go astray.  Whether you like it or not very little of our lives are scripted and we end up getting through the best we can by making it up as we go along.  You can plan all you want and determine what people will do and enjoy but when you hit the deck and the action begins, everything changes.  Actors prepare so that the performance goes on regardless what happens on that stage.  Our performers prepare for whatever might happen not only among themselves but with the audience whom we judge to be on stage with us.

     No one can quite predict what will happen, which is where a total improvisational/interactive style comes to the rescue.  Audience members are given an experience which is deeper and better than elsewhere because they have participated in a fun way.  There is no way we can get enough of anything that is fun. 

     We are now ready to expand into new territory both geographically as well as artistically.  We are ready to transport an audience to another time and place as soon as they enter the room.  We love to get help from people who love wild ideas full of energy.  For details on this contact me, Herb Otter, Producer.
 
 
 
 

Improv For Your Life  :Team Building

Improv can be a way of life and a way for business.  Teaching improvisational comedy to non performers is an extremely useful business tool in team building, improved communication, creative thinking, and much more.  Having fun and laughing is a most effective way of learning and having any organization function.  Contact us; we can accomplish a lot in a short period of time.
Train mystery

 
The Murder Mysteries: 
Let our experienced company of professional actors transport you into a realm of murder. Watch or become a part of a fun filled afternoon or evening of entertainment one could die for, with laughter as a deadly weapon. To paraphrase Alfred Hitchcock: "Murder can be a pleasant experience even for the victim, as long as all those involved behave as ladies and gentlemen".
Please note:  We can provide shows with actors or we can provide shows that involve only you and your group as the performers (we call these second type of shows "guided" since we are generally there only to guide your "actors"); or we could provide a combination of the two type of shows.  We have guided plays with as few as 20 characters and as many as 60.

If you think you might want to handle the details yourself, we can provide "guided" mysteries with instructions for your party or event. 

Public Shows

The French Manor(Poconos) South Sterling, Pennsylvania
A 30's Hollywood
November 13-15, 2009

http://www.thefrenchmanor.com/mystery.html   1-877-720-6090
A weekend Murder Mystery where everyone has a part!!!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Comical Murder Mysteries aboard the dinner/paddle boat, the Black Eyed Susan - in Fells Point, near the Baltimore Inner Harbor 

Next show: An Animated Murder - Sunday, July 19, 2009 - contact The Black-Eyed Susan for details. 

boat mystery

 

Rockfield Manor - 501 Churchville Road, Bel Air, Maryland 

Next Show:  

 Foul Play - August 7, 2009.  Tickets sold by Otter Productions and Rockfield Manor.  Only $35:  Light fare plus cash bar (beer & wine). 

 

............................................................................................................
 

M & H RR - Middletown, Pa - see top of page 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

train team
 
 

The Comedies: 
Pure improv, this is the essence of what we do. This full length show is based solely on audience suggestions. 
 Wacky Wait Staff
    Want something unusual and hilarious at your next banquet or dinner party.  Hire the Wacky Wait Staff.  What may appear to be normal restaurant or hotel workers are in reality comic performers ready to bring havoc to any social gathering.  Contact Harriett at Concierge Plus for details: 410-580-0350. 
 
      THE NEW PROJECT
   We have created a new show which takes the best elements of murder mystery, improvisation, and interactive performance.  Think of the shows such as Tony and Tina's Wedding or The 80's Prom and put it in the age of pirates and you have our show The Wedding of Pirates.  We will begin this adventure very soon. 
  
Now available from Otter Productions: Two of our movies on DVD
The Music of David M. Kilgore - our friend and colleague David M. Kilgore has an extensive repertoire - check out his site
 
 
 

We are perfect for sales meetings, lectures, demonstrations, parties, public events, private events, and for anything you make up and any space you provide.

otter production sign

call us at


(410) 817-4475


or write us at

Otter Productions
P O Box 9683
 Baldwin, MD 21013


                                                                       Now accepting credit cards
 
 

and of course there is e-mail at Herb@OtterProductions.com