Dusty Hess and Eric Keitel in From Beyond. Photo by John Thvedt
Unbound Productions is premiering its 8th annual Wicked Lit 2016 Saturday at the Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery in Altadena that features three immersive and adapted plays audiences will experience as they are led through the spooky grounds by storyguides. The production will feature world premiere adaptations of HP Lovecraft’s “From Beyond”, “Anansi and the Demons” and Ellen Glasgow’s “The Shadowy Third”.
“The cemetery is an amazing backdrop for the stories we are telling,” said Unbound Productions Co-Founder Jonathan Josephson. “The scope and the marvel and the sense of intensity that the cemetery and mausoleum give you is really present.”
Unbound Production is a nonprofit theatre company founded in 2008 by Jonathan Josephson, Paul Millet and Jeff G. Rack whose mission is to reimagine timeless stories for new audiences by creating immersive, theatrical adaptations of literature, according to their website.
Over 15,000 patrons have experienced their immersive theater events since the first full production of Wicked Lit in 2009.
“This year, we are featuring a play that is adapted from West African folk tales, and another that is drawn from the work of pioneering female author Ellen Glasgow, one of the most talented American short story-writers of the early 20th Century. It is, and always will be, important to us that we bring a wide range of unique, creative voices to our productions,” said Josephson.
“From Beyond” is adapted by Trey Nichols and directed by Rack, “Anansi and the Demons” is adapted by Jonathan Josephson and directed by Jaime Robledo and and “The Shadowy Third” is adapted by Paul Millet and directed by Bruce Gray.
The frame for the show will be “Camp Mountain View”, written by Josephson and directed by Millet. The frame includes pre-show performances as well entertainment during the evening’s two intervals.
’It’s a very fun and light way of tying the show together. The characters themselves are draw from the worlds of the three plays,” said Josephson about the pre-show that features a campfire storytelling session, ghostly arts and crafts and other activities.
Returning patrons can expect some new production elements from the cast and crew of Wicked Lit 2016.
“We’re adding several new components to our production this year including puppetry… and some other surprises we’re not quite ready to reveal,” said Rack, who also oversees the production design and special effects for the event. “We are thrilled to bring back old friends and excited to add great theatre artists such as Trey and Bruce, who are new to Wicked Lit but well known to LA theatre audiences.”
The popular production has accrued some acclaim since its inception seven years ago. Time Out Los Angeles called Wicked Lit “One of the best Los Angeles theater productions for fall 2016!”, WL’15 was recognized as “Ovation Recommended” by LA Stage Alliance, WL’14 received the Ovation Award for “Best Sound Design – Large Venue,” and both W’L13 and WL’14 were named the “Best Halloween Event of the Year” by Hollywood Gothique, according to a press release.
“We are also very proud of the fact that our shows continue to broaden in terms of theatrical diversity, both in terms of manner-of-storytelling, as well as the international impact of our source material,” said Josephson.
Wicked Lit 2016 will run seven weeks and feature the popular behind-the-scenes “Backstage Experience” for an additional fee. This fundraising initiative allows a small number of guests to receive insight from the creators of the show while touring the Mausoleum.
Wicked Lit is a walking show and patrons must be able to comfortably walk a minimum of 2,000 steps and climb stairs in order to experience the production. The show is recommended for audiences 16+.
Visit wickedlit.org for complete pricing and scheduling details. Wicked Lit is also on Facebook.
