PROGRAMMES | LUMEN 9
Hell ‘ s Gate “: the Mystery e Festival
d Ms Frida Ho
and some well-placed shots , we pulled off and delivered an abstract and captivating video .
In keeping with the ominous atmosphere that the video left our viewers with , we decided to situate the trail in The Bunker . The dark , dungeon-like atmosphere of this underground chamber lent itself very readily to the unsettling and disturbing nature of King Duncan ’ s murder .
We then set out to replicate the king ’ s chamber . To help us with this , we used a variety of props . Some of these were loaned from very generous students and teachers , while others were painstakingly made from scratch by the ten of us . This was all in hope of creating a more immersive experience for our juniors .
The faces behind the murder mystery
Uncertain and anxious as they began their trail , the students were led into the overwhelming darkness . Then , a sudden burst of light pierced into the room as we warmly welcomed them . A brief but comprehensive prologue was given before the students were split into groups of five . This ensured that even students who had not encountered the play before still had inroads into its main concern , as well as a frame of reference for the trail .
They were then instructed to read various introductions to the possible murder suspects before entering the king ’ s chamber , an area that was carefully partitioned off to mirror an enclosed sleeping space .
Once in the chamber , shrouded in darkness , students tried to locate the numerous clues , statements and quotes by the suspects that had been carefully hidden around them . This proved quite the challenge for some groups as they struggled to account for all the “ evidence ” before coming to a consensus on the murder . Carefully compiling and analysing the hints , before passing on their insights and opinions to the next group , the class eventually decided upon who they believed the murderer to be .
To conclude the trail , the organisers finally revealed the perpetrator . While there were students who felt vindicated by their choice of the murderer , there were others who realised in hindsight that they had overlooked essential clues to help them justify their choice and determine the murderer .
As graduating students who thoroughly enjoyed organizing the activities for our juniors , it was a pleasure to have participated in this year ’ s Lit Fest . We hope we have encouraged the participants to consider Literature as a subject option as they continue their journey towards the O Levels .