Unbound Productions announces the plays that will be included in Wicked Lit 2016, the company’s 8th annual immersive theatre event that will for the 7th year take place at Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery in Altadena. The production will run from October 1-November 12, 2016 and feature world premiere adaptations of HP Lovecraft’s From Beyond adapted by Trey Nichols (The Car Plays), directed by Jeff G. Rack (The Fall of the House of Usher, WL15); Anansi and the Demons adapted by Jonathan Josephson (The Grove of Rashomon, WL15, 2016 Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Festival), directed by Jaime Robledo (The Ebony Frame, WL15; Astroboy and the God of Comics, Sacred Fools); and Ellen Glasgow’s The Shadowy Third, adapted by Paul Millet (The Fall of the House of Usher, WL15), directed by Bruce Gray (Black Coffee, Theatre 40). 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.
The cast for Wicked Lit 2016 breaks down as follows: Anansi and the Demons: Chairman Barnes, Ariel Brown, Chioma Nwsou, Guy Picot, Jacquelin Schofield and Tory N. Thompson; From Beyond: Dustin Hess, Eric Keitel, Richard Large and Richard Mooney; The Shadowy Third: Brooke Clendenen, McKenzie R. Eckels, Paul Myrvol, Michael Perl and Hannah Whiteoak; Camp Mountain View (the frame for WL16): Jennifer Novak Chun, Kevin Dulude, Meghan Lewis and Sam Silverstein.
“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.”
Said Millet, “Last year was the first time that one of our shows was Ovation Recommended – that means a huge amount to us as a theatre company. For Wicked Lit to be recognized by the Los Angeles theatre community as one of the upper echelon theatre productions in the region – regardless of content, venue, or anything else – it’s very special and very humbling. It’s a testament to the great work that the 50+ actors, designers, crew and creatives bring to the cemetery.”
From Beyond, Anansi and the Demons and The Shadowy Third, are the 28th, 29th and 30th plays to receive their world premiere from Unbound Productions. Several of these plays have been produced by schools and theatre companies across the country and around the world including England, Scotland and Cameroon.
“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. “Last year, one of our plays was inspired by a Japanese story that featured an all Asian and Asian-American cast. 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.”
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.
Audiences will experience three short plays as they are led through the grounds of the mausoleum and cemetery by Storyguides. Wicked Lit is a walking show – patrons must be able to comfortably walk a minimum of 2,000 steps and climb stairs in order to experience this production. The performances may contain mature themes, theatrical violence, and sexual situations – the production is recommended for audiences ages 16+. The running time will be approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes including two intervals.
The first production was staged in 2009 on the grounds of Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. Since that time, nearly 15,000 patrons have enjoyed full productions of adaptations of authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, Robert E. Howard, Washington Irving, Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and many others at Greystone Mansion, Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery and numerous installation events throughout Southern California.
The mission of Unbound Productions, the theatre company that produces Wicked Lit, is to reimagine timeless stories for new audiences by creating immersive, theatrical adaptations of literature.
Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum is located in 2400 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Altadena.
Visit wickedlit.org for complete pricing and scheduling details. Wicked Lit is also on Facebook.
