by Shirley Lorraine
SPTC Coming A ‘Haunting
Santa Paula Theater Center’s popular annual Ghostwalk is taking a new turn this year. Every year for the past 25 years, Ghostwalk has been presented in a different location in Santa Paula, telling stories based on historical events of the area. This year, the ghosts are expanding their haunting by streaming directly to your house. Beware and prepare.
No need to wait either. Chose a weekend to catch one of the nine performances– Friday, Saturday or Sunday – October 9, 10 or 11, 16, 17 or 18, 23, 24, 25. To be presented at 7 p.m. on each of these dates, this year’s virtual offering is “Ghostwatch” featuring spooky “deadtime” stories by local authors. Run time is about 90 minutes.
The event will be Ghost-hosted by one of Ventura County’s most colorful living spirits – Doug Friedlander. Actors filmed at unique locations around Santa Paula will present their scripted stories for your enjoyment. Each of the stories has been part of a previous Ghostwalk, so you may relive some shivers as you listen. Woven into all the stories are locations and events from Santa Paula history.
The stories offered this year are Bertha by Bill Nash, Take My Life Please by Mitch Stone, Pancho Barnes by Linda Livingston, Josie’s Tale by Jeanie Hayes, Red Shoes by John Nichols, Saving Grace by Mary Alice Henderson, and Speak No Evil by Jim Kasmir and Jeff Rack.
SPTC recommends enhancing the evening by setting the scene appropriately for your viewing pleasure. Dim the lights, gather some spooky snacks (I highly recommended peeled grapes for their sliminess and something crunchy to pretend you are munching on bones), drink something red, get comfortable and invite the whole family to settle in for some good old fashioned story-telling. It’s all family frightly, I mean, friendly.
This year’s event is a Pay-What-You-Can event. Reservations can be made by calling the Ghostwalk Haunt Line at 805-525-3073 or on the SPTC website either at www.santapaulatheatercenter.org or www.ghostwalk.com or via email at [email protected]. While you’re on www.ghostwalk.com, check out the merchandise you can order which also helps support the theater’s efforts.
The event will be streamed to SPTC’s YouTube channel for public viewing at the following link, https://www.youtube.com/user/santapaulatheaterctr. It can also be seen at https://www/facebook.com/santapaulatheatercenter.
Fall is in the air. Leaves are falling. It is time for the spooks, ghosts and goblins to appear. October (can you believe it’s October already?) is the perfect time for snuggling up to that warm computer in your jammies with snacks, drinks and perhaps something or someone to cling to while watching SPTC’s 2020 version of this always-exciting long-standing tradition. Join in. Tune in. You will be glad you did. Oh, and please make a donation to the theater so these events can continue. All proceeds benefit the Santa Paula Theater Center directly. Happy hauntoween!
