Our Hat's Off to Spirits Off, Mercyhurst Theatre Program's Newest Production
Original comedy conjures laughter
BEGINNING THURSDAY, OCT. 2
In the mid-19th century, a curious movement began in the New York home of the two Fox sisters, known familiarly as Maggie and Kate. What those girls would witness – nay, experience – would spearhead modern spiritualism as it's recognized today; but their story, as serious and as tragic as it was, also plays an integral role in the Mercyhurst Theatre Program's new comedy, Spirits Off, making its worldwide debut on the Taylor Little Theatre stage.
The play was co-written by historian and award-winning playwright Dr. Mary Barile – who also authored A Dickens of a Carol for the Mercyhurst Theatre Program – and the program director, Dr. Brett D. Johnson. They have set the location to none other than Erie, and the date sometime in the 1950s, with a cast of characters that include a medium-for-hire, her disreputable assistants, a wealthy widow, an unsentimental skeptic, plus an actress with a flair for the incorporeal. Taking place over the course of an evening, a séance that started out more theatrical than spiritual turns into something much spookier – and more comical (for the audience, at least).
In addition to Dr. Johnson at the helm, nine Mercyhurst students will take the stage, including Noah Beiter, Haven Bills, Connor Clark, Abby Craig, Kat Kanazin, Bella Mitlo, Johnathon Morvay, Eric Page, and Zack Yeager. Behind the scenes scenic designer Tucker Topel, lighting designer Madeleine Steineck, costume designer Kim Brown, production stage manager Mekenzie Rowland, and assistant stage managers Lydia Kopp, Sophia Schrader, and Kenzie Soety all played a huge role in bringing this production to life.
Oct. 2 and 4 at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 3 at 11:55 p.m., Oct. 5 at 2 p.m. // Taylor Little Theatre, 501 E. 38th // $5-$15 // For tickets and info: miac.mercyhurst.edu
