CAST gears up with ‘Woman in Black’ for Halloween
The cast and crew of the Clearfield Arts Studio Theatre is gearing up for Halloween with “The Woman in Black.” The production will be held from Oct. 23-4 at 7 p.m., Oct. 25 at 3 p.m., and Oct. 29-31 at 7 p.m. — Courtesy photo
By Andy Stine
astine@altoonamirror.com
Clearfield Arts Studio Theatre (CAST) is getting in the Halloween spirit this year with a seasonal play in “The Woman in Black.” The production will be held from Oct. 23-4 at 7 p.m., Oct. 25 at 3 p.m., and Oct. 29-31 at 7 p.m.
Mason Strouse, executive director of CAST, said the play’s rights had not been available in the United States until recently.
“We’ve kind of been in line to do this for a couple years now,” Strouse said. “Not a ton of people are doing it (in the U.S.), but it’s super popular in Europe. We are one of the first community theatres in the country to do it.”
“The Woman in Black” started as a British novel before it was turned into a play, and then it was a movie starring Daniel Radcliffe. Strouse noted that the movie has a similar premise to the play, but a different story.
The ghost story centers around a lawyer named Arthur Kipps, who had something terrifying happen to him when he was younger. Years later, he hires an actor to help him re-create the story.
The two get sent to a house in the middle of the countryside, and crazy things happen with a ghost that they call the woman in black.
“It’s kind of like a play within a play sort of thing,” Strouse said. “They don’t actually talk to her or anything, but she’s just kind of there. It’s a story of the two of them figuring out what (Kipps) experienced when he was younger.”
CAST has also been using plenty of sound and lighting effects, and using technology in past performances this year. That will happen again with “The Woman in Black,” where there will be a sound rush throughout the auditorium that will give the effect of the woman in black being around the crowd.
The audience is targeted for teens and adults.
“It’s a great, spooky Halloween story,” Strouse said.
CAST has not done a Halloween type of production every October, but Strouse said they are looking into doing that in the future. The organization is looking into doing the Rocky Horror Picture Show next year.
The last play — “Picasso at the Lapin Agile” — did very well with good attendance, which has not been the norm since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We used to sell out just about everything, especially musicals,” Strouse said. “Now our musicals are very close to selling out. Plays we see about 100 people a night, which is good for us.”
CAST will have one more production in December in “Bug,” which will be held at the theatre from Dec. 10-13. The Dance Company in Clearfield will also be putting on “The Nutcracker” in December before CAST moves on to the 2027 season with two musicals and three plays.
For more information and for tickets, visit clearfieldarts.org.