SHERBROOKE — The world of interactive theatre is coming here.
“The Shadow of Sherbrooke Village” ghost tour – a collaboration between the Village and Dead Reckoning Theatre Company, out of Chicago – uses Helen Creighton’s “Bluenose Ghosts” and “Bluenose Magic” as source material.
Starting Sept. 4, “[It] brings curious adventurers along for an interactive deep dive tour into our museum that is both thrilling and haunting,” said show director Lanny Boyer, the Village’s marketing and events coordinator, who co-wrote the play with Andrew Marchetti, in an email interview with The Journal.
Boyer explained that York Lethbridge, executive director of Sherbrooke Village, approached him about the possibility of doing a ghost tour early on after he was hired last winter. The idea for an interactive ghost tour came from one of their first brainstorming sessions.
“While the tour can be delivered without any group participation whatsoever, it’s meant to be a shared experience that ebbs and flows with different personalities,” he explained, noting that interaction is “an intrinsic part of the experience.”
Boyer, who has two theatrical degrees from University of Northern Colorado, along with several years of experience as a professional actor and 12 years teaching and directing theatre and film at various schools, added, “While we would’ve loved to get it off the ground much sooner, it took the full season to get it right.”
Over the course of roughly two hours, patrons are given cloaks and lanterns and guided through two full blocks of historic Sherbrooke, into buildings and rooms not always accessible during the day.
“During this tour, our guides share collected stories of Dr. Creighton’s, while doing their best to keep the group one step ahead of danger which is always close behind,” explained Boyer, offering a glimpse of what guests can expect during their experience.
As conflict between the guides surfaces, so do the dangers that exist in the Village after dark.
“Tensions increase and build towards a thrilling climax that brings the group face to face with the terrifying ‘Legend of Sherbrooke Village’,” said Boyer.
Suzette Jordan, Theresa Yzerman, Oxana Shveda, Mike Porter and Lanny Boyer, with technicians Fabian MacDonald and Lex Yzerman, perform the script.
“The tour includes theatrical sound and lighting design, which is sure to be a real hit with the patrons,” he added.
Boyer, who has directed horror for stage and film, met with Clary Croft – steward of Creighton’s collected stories – early on in the process.
“He was able to give me great insights into bringing authentic Nova Scotian tales of the occult to bear; he didn’t steer me wrongly,” he said.
Boyer explained, “This is an original concept that’s tailor made for Sherbrooke Village.”
Boyer and Marchetti spent the first month pouring over Creighton’s books, “Bluenose Ghosts” and “Bluenose Magic,” which gave them an important foundation to build on.
“But, I have to say, the best advice I got from Clary was to not muddy the waters between folklore and theatre. It was important to him that we maintain a clear line between authentic accounts collected by Dr. Creighton and contrived stories for the purpose of the show,” he said.
Boyer added that Marchetti did a great job of keeping those two worlds separate.
“And, in the end, Dr. Creighton’s collections became exalted within the world of the play. I’m quite happy with that, and I hope she would be as well.”
“The Shadow of Sherbrooke Village” launches Wednesday, Sept. 4, and runs twice weekly until the last week of October, with additional tours the week of Halloween. Run time is 7-9 p.m.
Space is limited, so tickets must be purchased in advance. For tickets, larger groups, or inquiries about additional dates not listed, visit sherbrookevillage.ca or call 902-522-2400, ext. 226, for details.
