Turn of the Screw is a ghostly tale
Classic thriller lures audience into a supernatural tale, Devin Pacholik writes.
The most terrifying stories leave you questioning the reliability of your own perception and often the monsters you cannot see are the scariest.
Regina Little Theatre hopes to spook audiences with Turn of the Screw from Oct. 4 to Oct. 7 at the Regina Performing Arts Centre.
Director Amanda Schenstead said the play is a “classic thriller” adapted by Jack Neary from the late Victorian horror novella by Henry James.
Summarizing the plot, she said: “A governess is hired to watch two young children, and their uncle wants nothing to do with them. Although everything starts out not too bad, the governess starts to think something is wrong when she sees ghosts in the house and in windows. They seem to be the people who used to take care of the children.”
At this point in the story, the governess, played by Janaya Hanley, begins to question her sanity. Meanwhile, Miles and Flora, the children played by Wyatt Armstrong and Jill Marie Cotter Badger, deny any knowledge of the ghosts. A housekeeper, Mrs. Grose (Lana De Lint), is the only other person who feels the “eerie presence.”
The director said the outstanding acting by the young Armstrong and Badger captures the “unnatural connection to the supernatural” required by Turn of the Screw. Hanley, new to the company, skilfully translates the unravelling mind of the governess.
“She blew me away in the audition,” Schenstead added.
Fans of the original novella know the most terrifying aspect is the uncertainty of whether there really are ghosts or if the governess is losing her mind. Schenstead said they show that creepy quality on stage through clever lighting, sound and “interpretive movement” taught to the actors by Kaitlyn Semple.
“With all of those elements combined, we’re able to tell this weird tale,” said Schenstead.
Complete with British accents, perfected with the coaching of Jean Taylor, the company wants to transport audiences back in time. But there is a twist in the production, Schenstead said. “We’re also adding some steampunk elements to the costumes of the ghosts.”
With costume design from Sandra Preikschat and some contributions from the actors, the “goggles and gears” steampunk look adds a spooky mechanical esthetic. To complete the horror setting, designers Alicia Dorwart and Abbey-Taylor Weber staged various rooms to simulate a sprawling 19th-century manor.
When asked about her favourite scene, Schenstead said: “In the second-to-last scene there is a lot of strange stuff that happens with lighting, sounds and movement. There’s some interpretive and symbolic things going on with objects, but that’s all I’m going to say!”
She said Turn of the Screw has been “fun but challenging to direct.”
“You have to keep the suspense moving throughout the whole show, going toward that climax. It’s difficult to do, but I think it’s going to be a riveting piece.”