Theatre L'acadie Opens Inaugural Season With 70 SCENES OF HALLOWEEN

Theatre L'Acadie proudly presents the Jeffrey M. Jones piece, 70 Scenes of Halloween, directed by Emily Margaret Daigle, October 2nd-13th at the charming Athenaeum Theater. Theatre L'Acadie's modern performance of this haunting play, originally published in 1990, guarantees a night full of eerie entertainment, dreamy sequences, and insightful incantation sure to leave the audience cackling in awe.

"A quirky, inventive, and fun play in which time is out of joint as a couple Jeff and Joan contend with ghosts, beasts, and witches banging on their windows, wafting through their rooms, and wielding butcher knives." says Broadway Publishing Inc of the show.

On Halloween night, Jess and Joan, a weathered couple, find themselves in the midst of pure pandemonium. Seemingly reliving the night in perpetuity, the couple explores what happens when NOTHING goes according to plan. The piece, which the Edmonton Journal calls "macabre and oddly mesmerizing," is being presented for only the second time in the Chicagoland area, preceded only by the Neo-Futurists' performance in 1993.

"Is it truly art, if it doesn't make us uncomfortable?" asks director Emily Daigle. "This dark comedy abandons traditional narrative in favor of 70 brief scenes played out of order, resulting in a wild dreamlike ride that blends realism with psychological surprise and humor. These vignettes, all taking place on Halloween night, feature the dissolving relationship between partners Jess and Joan. Jones masterfully pieces together a story in which we are all too familiar with: the disconnect between those we love most and the ugly truths we are unwilling to admit. How often do we desire to just feel? Within the blink of an eye, we are transported from quaint to crazy, adding to the distortion of what is real and what isn't. As inner demons reveal themselves, we are catapulted into the depths of Jess and Joan's relationship, forcing us to question the absurdity of our own relationships; to contemplate the mystery that is the human condition. This revealing piece is timely and disgustingly relatable. The unsettling tale will leave people wondering, 'What did I just watch?' And as Jones himself says, 'Everything changes, and nothing changes.'"

"Although the piece is numbered, I would highly recommend the audience suspend their sense of reality and time for this piece. It's neither linear nor totally comprehensible. The piece relies heavily on the fact that it should disorent the audience enough for them to truly buy into the frivolity of it. Don't focus on time, or plot. Focus on having fun with the piece, and how it makes you feel. That's what matters in this unusual piece." says, Kaitlin Romero, actress, and alumnae of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

A talented team of technicians back this production, including stage manager Alexandra Hazen, whose work may be noted through her work with Hell in a Handbag as well as assistant director Erin Sheets, who has worked most notably with Southern Rep as well as Cornservatory. Costume designer Emily Daigle's work transports the audience to a stilted and disjointed world in which the performance takes place.

70 Scenes of Halloween will take place at the Athenaeum Theater from October 2nd-13th at 8pm Wed-Sat and 3pm on Sundays, with a press performance on September 26th and October 2nd and 3rd. Tickets are $20 general admission, $15 for industry tickets. Group rates are available for those who inquire, and you can order online through our event page here.

To post a comment, you must register and login.