The Celebration Company at the Station Theatre has a semi-regular tradition of putting on a “Dark Night” performance in October. While “Dark Night” does seem to imply horror, it really just means that it’s an evening where no rehearsal or performance is regularly scheduled, and some folks have gotten together for a quick fun read of something unusual.
In the past, they’ve read through original scripts and short fiction centered around spooky stories, gothic fiction, monstrous legends, and more, close to Halloween.
This year, the event is going to be a little earlier, a little fancier, and (to me) a lot scarier. The first set of two short plays in the Gun Plays series will be staged this coming Monday, October 17th.
While not actually part of the previous “dark night” tradition, it seems fititng that a set of works about something as horrific as gun violence in our country would kick off in October. If you want truly frightening chills and thrills, the two productions for this month fit under the heading “Guns at Home”.
Costly by Stephen Cooper, and Dad’s Guns by Neil Blackadder were chosen from over 200 scripts submitted to Nicole Anderson-Cobb, PhD, and are just two of the ten that will be staged this year. The cast is as follows:
COSTLY by Stephen Cooper
Emma Higgins – Melissa Croft
Ronald Higgins – John Tilford
Dr. Harold Grimsby – David Barkley
Lieutenant Langley – Kvn Tajzea
DAD’S GUNS by Neil Blackadder
Ellen – Deb Richardson
Robert – David Barkley
The Station Theatre is located at 223 N. Broadway Ave., Urbana, and the performance begins at 7 p.m. Admission is $7, and the website doesn’t appear to be taking reservations, so show up early with actual cash. Credit Cards are not accepted.