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Return to the show that started the last decade of Halloween Extravaganzas at Craigdarroch Castle.
Return to....
This October, Giggling Iguana Productions resurrects its legendary site-specific production of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher at Craigdarroch Castle October 21 - 31.
“We started our Halloween shows at Craigdarroch Castle in 2001 with House of Usher,” says Iguana’s Ian Case who wrote and directed the original production and will helm this year’s production. “It seemed fitting to start our second decade of Halloween productions with the show that started it all.”
Case promises this will be both a familiar and completely new take on the company’s first site specific hit, “So much technology has become available since 2001; wireless speakers, miniature digital projectors and so much more. Plus, peoples’ aesthetic has changed. While the script is still very much Poe’s House of Usher, we’ll be working to bring returning audiences new chills and surprises while delighting those who are new to the Castle and to our version of Poe’s classic tale of familial horror.”
The Fall of the House of Usher tells the unfolding drama of the Usher household - the mental deterioration of the master of the house Roderick Usher, the physical failing of it's Mistress, Madelaine, the machinations of the evil family Doctor, and the growing horror of the intrepid Narrator. Usher will feature Rod Peter Jr, Tim Sutherland, Natasha Enquist, Ian Case, Theodore Sherman and Mily Mumford, directed by Case.
Staged ‘environmentally’ in Victoria’s number one heritage attraction, audiences experience a walking tour of the Castle’s interior and exterior as scenes of Poe's tale unfolded around them. “The Castle is the ideal setting and the set that no theatre company could ever afford to build,” says Case.
The Fall of the House of Usher takes place at Craigdarroch Castle, 1050 Joan Crescent, October 20 at 8pm, October 21 and 22 at 7pm and 9pm, October 23, 26 and 27 at 8pm, October 28 and 29 at 7pm and 9pm, and October 30 and 31 at 8pm.
Tickets available in person, online and by phone on August 1, 2011 via Ticket Rocket, Victoria’s Community Box Office: www.ticketrocket.org, 250-590-6291, #2 – 1609 Blanshard Street (at Fisgard). Reservations are recommended. Tickets are $25 general admission and $22 for Castle Members (prices include HST). Tickets must be purchased in advance.
PLEASE NOTE: This is not a seated performance. Craigdarroch Castle is a historic house museum. There are 87 stairs and NO ramps or elevator - it is NOT wheelchair accessible.
William Head Inmates are acting up again…in Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast
William Head on Stage is proud to present its 50th production in its 30th year: Gormenghast, a stage adaptation by John Constable of Mervyn Peake’s classic fantasy trilogy. Gormenghast is directed by local director, actor and producer Ian Case (Elephant Man, Macbeth, Waiting for Godot, Richard III). Gormenghast is a magical show delving into the genius one of English literatures undisputed fantasy classics. Mervyn Peake received the Heinermann Prize for Literature.
Gormenghast tells the story of a kingdom determined to remain untouched by change and time. “No Change!” is the motto of the kingdom’s strange and wonderful denizens. Gormenghast itself is a gargantuan castle, filled with nooks and secret passages, dungeons and unknown turrets. But time has worn down the walls and the inhabitants of the castle. Inevitable change comes in the form of two young men: Titus Groan, the 77th Earl of Groan who dreads the life of ritual forced upon him; and Steerpike, a nasty and ambitious young man who wheedles his way into the Castle Kitchen where he begins a murderous campaign to topple the Groan family and all they hold dear.
Gormenghast features a cast of 9 inmate actors and 3 local actresses. Ingrid Hansen (Chalk!, Pretty Little Instincts, Little Orange Man), Kate Rubin (The Importance of Being Earnest, Macbeth, The Fall of the House of Usher), and Michelle Chowns (The Cursed Cabaret of Kelowna Day Taylor) bring the women of Gormenghast to life.
Gormenghast runs October 14 through November 12. Performance dates are: October 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, 29, November 3, 4, 5, 10, 11 and 12. Gates open to the public at 6pm and close at 7:30, the performance will begin shortly after 7:30. No latecomers will be admitted.
Tickets are $20 each and are available at the following outlets:
• My Chosen Café – 4480 Happy Valley Road – 250-474-2333
• Ticket Rocket (online, by phone or in person) #2-1609 Blanshard Street, 250-383-2663, www.ticketrocket.org
WHOS is located inside a Federal Institution. No persons under the age of 19 will be admitted. You may be electronically scanned. Money, wallets, purses, cell phones cannot be taken into the institution, as well as tobacco products, lighters, etc and must be locked in your vehicle or locker provided.
For more information please contact Stan or Mike at the WHOS Office 250-391-7078