When George Romero’s cult classic horror film released in 1968, it shocked cinema goers who had become used to the campy horror films that they were used to seeing on the big screen. Marketing materials of the time advertised a film “More terrifying than Hitchcock’s Psycho!” Other ads offered life insurance payouts if any of the audience died of fright. The film received a positive critical reception and has been acknowledged as one of the most important films of the genre. In America, the film is now in the public domain, which has allowed TSA’ s video and theatre instructor, Megan Aherne, to create her own stage adaptation of the film!
On Thursday, January 30, Toledo School for the Arts will premiere Aherne’s stage adaptation in the TSA Black Box Studio. The production will feature an original score composed and performed live by TSA percussion instructor, Rob Desmond. Although TSA will not be offering any insurance payouts for audience members who suffer from ill effects caused by their fright, the audience should be prepared for the creepy mood of the original film.
“In my early years of professional theatre, I wrote and directed a few immersive horror shows and they were some of my most fun and fulfilling performance experiences. When TSA gave me the green light on this idea, I was so excited to get back to my roots and bring this kind of production to our theatre and students. We’ve made some changes to the original movie, including a new ending and fresh character takes, but many similarities to the original film remain.”…