The CCE.net: About

About the CCE

ince 1988, The Committee for Creative Enactments has claimed the number one spot as the world's leading collegiate murder-mystery improv troupe. For those of you who are unfamiliar with The CCE (as we are more commonly known), we are a comedic theater troupe dating back to the mid 80's that layers improvised scenes on top of a scripted plot in a murder-mystery format.

The group is made up entirely of Boston College students, there is no conventional stage, and this is not a performance to be passively watched. Actors move throughout the audience and converse with audience members directly. Audience members take on the pretense of the setting of the show and O'Connell House (an old mansion and BC landmark) is transformed into a medieval castle, or the estate of William Shakespeare, or a Victorian era Hotel, or even (as a real stretch) a spooky old mansion. Audience members are guests of the event and there may be multiple scenes occurring simultaneously in several rooms in O'Connell House, audience members may follow their favorite characters into a scene or engage them in conversation, even interrogate a suspect yourself. Listen closely and follow the clues and if you correctly guess "whodunit?" you may win a prize at the end of the night. All actors remain in character throughout the night, making for an unforgettable evening that can't be compared to any other form of entertainment out there.

Club History

The CCE was co-founded by Dawn Bishop, David Foucher and some friends back in 1988. For a long while David had wanted to create such a club, and so one (possibly rainy) night he decided to go to a local store and purchase a copy of one of those take-home murder mystery dinner games, "How to Host a Murder." David and eight of his friends gathered on Superbowl Sunday, and rather than watching the Washington Redskins trounce the Denver Broncos 42 to 10, they had a grand time trying to figure out who amongst them was a killer.

Three months (and one long-winded document) later, The Committee for Creative Enactments was born. Baffled by the size of their budget, the club founders went all out on their first show and in doing so filled the Shaw House to capacity -- 160 people over the course of two nights. This first-ever CCE event, a murder mystery based in the roaring 20's, made a killing and ensured The CCE's status as prominent Boston College club for years to come.

As the club evolved it turned from dinner theatre to full length comedy shows. These comedic extravaganzas went from casts of 5 to casts of two dozen or more, always offering a hilarious variety of characters. The club became so popular and so blessed with creative individuals that those not cast in shows were allowed to completely improvise "rumormonger" characters, wandering through the audience and spreading gossip throughout the performance. Members of the CCE have gone on to perform at Improv Boston and various comedy clubs in New York.

For more information on The CCE's history and information about past shows, check out the shows page. Feel free to explore the rest of this site as well. Find out about what's going on with the club, our current members, alumni, and what makes our brand of comedy unique, exciting, and fresh. Want to talk back? You can contact the CCE or sign up and participate in our message board. If you'd like to be contacted about upcoming CCE shows, you can even sign up for our mailing list.