LEWISTON – The murder mystery/dinner theater troupe Mystery for Hire is rolling out a full schedule of entertainment at Marco’s Restaurant. Besides offering murder mysteries, the troupe will launch improvisational comedy dinner theater under the title “Mainely Improv.”

Performances will include “Medieval Murder Mystery” on Saturday, Jan. 17, and “Murder at the Last Chance Café” on Saturday, Feb. 28. “The first show has ladies-in-waiting and court jesters ready to entertain while the ‘Last Chance Café’ is a rip-roaring mystery full of country music and western themes,” said Dan Marois, who with his wife, Denise, owns and operates Mystery for Hire.

As part of its murder mystery shows, Mystery for Hire asks audiences to help solve the crime by the end of the evening. Scenes from the play are interjected between courses of a buffet meal.

Much in the style of TV’s “Whose Line Is It, Anyway,” Mainely Improv will present its homegrown improvisational comedy Saturday, Jan. 31 and March 14. Comedy will be performed in two scenes, one before dinner and one after dessert is served.

“Mainely Improv” will perform without a script, relying entirely on the audience for suggestions of scenes and characters. “We are never quite sure what will happen when we do an improv show,” said Marois. “Anything can happen when the audience throws out ideas to perform and it is always possible that an audience member will end up as part of the on-stage action.”

The theater troupe will host two other events in its winter season. On Friday, Feb. 13, Dan and Denise Marois will perform the play “Love Letters,” portraying a couple that has spent a lifetime writing love letters to one another. “It will be a great Valentine special for anyone who has ever been in love,” said Marois.

On Saturday, March 28, Mystery for Hire will launch “On the Spot Murder Mystery,” a combination of murder mystery shows with improv comedy. “We will create a full-length murder mystery show based entirely on suggestions from the audience. They will determine the setting, the character and potential motives to commit a crime. They may even have a say as to how the murder is committed,” said Marois. “Every show is different, and there’s no telling how the evening will turn out.”

Reservations are required for all shows at Marco’s; call 783-0336. Tickets are $36.95 per person, which includes entertainment, a buffet with three entree selections, and all tax and gratuity. A cash bar is available. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. with the show starting at 7 p.m.

For more information, visit the restaurant at 12 Mollison Way or log on to www.mysteryforhire.com.