The Ministry of Mundane Mysteries

Co-Director

Co-Creator

Co-Producer

About the Show

The Ministry of Mundane Mysteries is an improvised mystery experience unfolding over a one-hour phone call. The Ministry’s private investigators delve into audience members’ very own micro mysteries using the investigative power of good conversation.

Created by Outside the March in the first weeks of the pandemic, this phone-based project has gone on to be one of Outside the March’s most successful to date, solving thousands of cases for ages 4-99 (literally) in 230+ cities worldwide, on every continent.

Originally created to provide connection for audience members isolating during the pandemic, its one-on-one accessibility has made it popular with audiences of all kinds. It has been performed and tailored for d/Deaf and Blind audience members, families, seniors, audiences with intellectual disabilities and for many others with a range of access needs, small and large. It was also created to provide meaningful employment for artists, passing on 100% of ticket sales to its 25+ performers. Over two years it’s put hundreds of thousands of dollars into artists’ hands at a challenging time.

Visit the Outside the March production page and the box office page including FAQ.

Photos

An enigmatic man holds a telephone to his ear, an illustrated neon city scape behind him, with the words "On Call" in neon, and a Bat signal-style searchlight with the Mundane Mysteries "M" in the background
A highly stylized illustration, almost like a baseball card, featuring performer Thurga Kanagasekarampillai wearing a fedora with a neon cityscape behind them, with "Inspector Kanagasekarampillai" written below.
A highly stylized illustration, almost like a baseball card, featuring performer Connor Yuzwenko-Martin wearing a fedora and glasses with a neon cityscape behind them, with "Inspector Yuzwenko-Martin" written below.
A highly stylized illustration, almost like a baseball card, featuring performer Francis Melling in suit with a cigar in their mouth, wearing a fedora with a neon cityscape behind them, with "Inspector Melling" written below.
A highly stylized illustration, almost like a baseball card, featuring performer Anand Rajaram wearing a cowboy hat and sucking on a toothpick, with a neon cityscape behind them, with "Inspector Rajaram" written below.
A highly stylized illustration, almost like a baseball card, featuring performer Jonatahn Shaboo wearing a Panama hat with a neon cityscape behind them, with "Inspector Shaboo" written below.
A highly stylized illustration, almost like a baseball card, featuring performer Madeleine Brown wearing a feathered cap and holding a spyglass to her eye, with a neon cityscape behind them, with "Inspector Brown" written below.
A highly stylized illustration, almost like a baseball card, featuring performer Christol Bryan wearing a fedora and trenchoat, with a neon cityscape behind them, with "Inspector Bryan" written below.
A highly stylized illustration, almost like a baseball card, featuring performer Shannon Currie wearing a fur coat and large hat. They're peeking out from behind sunglasses, with a neon cityscape behind them, with "Inspector Currie" written below.
A highly stylized illustration, almost like a baseball card, featuring performer Todd Houseman wearing a black beanie and opaque round sunglasses with a neon cityscape behind them, with "Inspector Houseman" written below.
A grid of Mundane Mysteries cast members' "Inspector" shots, featuring a divverse array of characters striking enigmatic poses with stereotypical gumshoe-style props like fedoras, binoculars, notepads, etc.
A roundup of effusive media pull quotes from Mundane Mysteries overlaid stylistically on digital "post it" notes.
The Ministry of Mundane Mysteries logo: an analogue neon pink phone sits atop a large black "M"
The Ministry of Mundane Mysteries Summer Passport: the classic MMM logo designed to look like a passport stamp.
The Ministry of Mundane Mysteries Playdate logo: two cartoon inspectors speak to each other over a tin can telelphone wire, with the words "Mundane Mysteries Playdate" below.
The Ministry of Mundane Mysteries "On Call" logo: the classic MMM logo on a pink and blue neon stopwatch.
Map of the world with pins of Mundane Mysteries that have been solved.
No items found.

Production History

  • June 2020: 169 free English and ASL experiences offered through partnership with SummerWorks.
  • August 2020: MMM: Playdate Edition developed with Theatre Direct and TOLive for kids and families.
  • October-December 2020: MMM: Frontline Edition offered 100 free experiences to frontline health workers with Unity Health and The Joy Fund.
  • Ongoing: Pay-It-Forward program where audiences can donate a free experience to someone in need, resulting in 50+ experiences donated through partnerships with Amica Senior Lifestyles, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Toronto and L’Arche Toronto.
  • 2021: MMM adapted into an Artists in the Classroom initiative.
  • March 2021: MMM: ASL Edition featured at the SOUND OFF Festival.
  • June 2021: Presented at the International Children’s Festival of the Arts, St. Albert AB.
  • June 2021, new ASL edition, The Ministry of Cisnormative Mysteries, presented with Deaf Spectrum and Pride Toronto.
  • November 2020: Spanish-language adaptation licensed for free to Lima-based theatre company Animalien, premiering La Central de Misterios Cotidianos.
  • December 2020, licensed for free to the The Thespo Festival in Mumbai for performers 18-25.
  • March 2021: licensed to Chicago-based Bramble Theatre for a month-long American run.
  • 2022: Recipient of a Canada Council for the Arts Digital Now grant to continue to support artists during the pandemic.
  • March 2022: MMM: ASL Edition presented at the SOUND OFF Festival in Edmonton, co-produced with The Invisible Practice in association with SOUND OFF. Performed in-person for the first time ever.
  • June 2022: Le Ministère des moindres mystères French language edition presented across Canada.

Press

 & 

Awards

There's been a lot of immersive theatre in my little life. This was my favourite.

—

Lise Hosein

|

CBC Arts

Read the review →

The piece I enjoyed the most—maybe because it was made-to-measure, maybe because it was executed so generously—was my Mundane Mystery... it let me be who I am... It asked about my world, listened and then let me slip free of it, at 10-minute intervals.

—

Alexis Soloski

|

The New York Times

Read the review →

The storytelling, the creativity, the wonderful acting and improvisation, the personalisation and immersion – was all incredible, and the experience was shared with such warmth—I am grinning from ear to ear. This, for me, is immersive theatre at its best.

—

Nina T.

|

audience member

Read the review →

While there are lots of big unknowns in our lives right now, Outside the March's entertaining new interactive show helped me solve one of the less urgent matters weighing on me. And it was all done with spontaneity, intelligence and a sense of fun.

NNNN

—

Glenn Sumi

|

NOW Magazine

Read the review →

Ringing Endorsement for Phone Theatre.

★★★★ ½

—

Frances Koncan

|

Winnipeg Free Press

Read the review →

Nomination

Special Citation – For Creative Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Toronto Theatre Critics' Awards

2020

Cast & Creative

The Ministry of Mundane Mysteries | 2020-2022

Ministry Direction

  • Griffin McInnes
  • Mitchell Cushman

Creators

  • Amy Keating
  • Anahita Dehbonehie
  • Colin Doyle
  • Griffin McInnes
  • Katherine Cullen
  • Mitchell Cushman
  • Nick Blais
  • Sebastien Heins

Performers

  • Amy Keating
  • Anand Rajaram
  • Caitlin McConkey-Pirie
  • Chris Mejaki
  • Christol Bryan
  • Christy Bruce
  • Colin Doyle
  • Connor Low
  • Connor Yuzwenko-Martin
  • Francis Melling
  • Gislina Patterson
  • Herbie Barnes
  • Jamie Cavanagh
  • Jillian Welsh
  • Jonathan Shaboo
  • Katherine Cullen
  • Kenn McLeod
  • Liz Johnston
  • Logan Robins
  • Madeleine Brown
  • Pat Gourdeau
  • Rafael Rogers
  • Sébastien Heins
  • Shannon Currie
  • Sheri Godda
  • Thurga Kanagasekarampillai
  • Toby Hughes
  • Todd Houseman

Ministry Design

  • Anahita Dehbonehie
  • Nick Blais
  • Jared Olsever

Ministry ASL Interpretation

  • Amanda Hyde
  • Carmelle Cachero

Ministry Jingle

  • Adam Sakiyama
  • Britta Johnson

‍Ministry Concierge Service

  • Laura McCallum
  • Rosamund Small
  • Zoe Danahy
  • Amy Keating
  • James Ersil

Ministry Website Design

  • Colin Simmons

The Ministry of Mundane Mysteries: Playdate Edition | 2020

Co-production with Theatre Direct and TOLive

  • Director / Creator: Griffin McInnes
  • Artistic Consultant: Lisa Marie DiLiberto
  • Enrichment Materials Lead Producer / Creator: Pragna Desai
  • Assistant Director / Associate Dramaturge / Associate Enrichment Materials / Associate Producer / Creator: Madeleine Brown
  • Associate Dramaturg: Rosamund Small
  • Outreach and Marketing Liaison: Kate Walker
  • Producer: Laura McCallum

The Ministry of Mundane Mysteries: ASL Edition | 2022

‍Live at The SOUND OFF Festival

Co-production with The Invisible Practice, in association with SOUND OFF

  • Co-Creators / Co-Producers / Performers: Thurga Kanagasekarampillai and Connor Yuzwenko-Martin
  • Director / Dramaturg / Co-Producer: Griffin McInnes
  • Stage Manager: Alexandra Hickox
  • Designer: Madeline Blondal
  • Co-Producer: Laura McCallum
  • Deaf Consultant: Kayla Bradford
  • ASL Interpreter: Carmelle Cachero

Le Ministère des moindres mystères | 2022

French performances in Nova Scotia presented in association with Halifax’s Théâtre DesAssimilés

  • Mis en scène: Griffin McInnes
  • Assistance à la mise en scène: Olivier Blais
  • Enquêteurs: Geneviève Fontaine et Florian François
  • Traduction et adaptation de l’anglais: Olivier Nadon
  • Conseiller au rayonnement: Pierre Simpson 
  • Productrice et service de conciergerie: Laura McCallum
  • Chanson thème française: Cynthia Chalifour

‍