Horror theatre plays in NZ

Interactive horror drama with audience as court and jury.

An interactive theatre of darkness is crossing the ditch next month.

Ward of Shadows, an Australian horror theatre, will be in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch in March, sucking participants into a haunted mental hospital for an evening of terror.

The theatre revolves around a young patient’s unsolved murder.

The audience spends the evening investigating two main suspects: Tim - a paranoid hypochondriac and William - an aggressive psychotic. The audience then becomes a court and jury.

Writer and director Emma Humphreys says the show isn’t for anyone with heart or anxiety conditions, but says it’s not all knee jerks and screaming either.

‘‘It’s not shock horror. There’s an intricate story line for an audience who have a genuine interest in story and character.’’

Humphreys says the show is interactive, with the outcome resting in the audience’s hands. Humphreys has been working in horror theatre since 2013, and before that she was in traditional theatre for 15 years.

Ward of Shadows was well received in Victoria with a sold-out season in 2016.

New Zealand will be the theatre company’s first international destination. Humphrey’s says this is partly because of how much they’ve enjoyed Kiwis in their Australian shows.

‘‘New Zealanders are our favourite audience members - they really get into it and invest in the story,’’ she says.

Ward of Shadows, brought across by Hunted the Interactive Horror Experience, plays in Auckland from March 9-12.

Location of the shows are currently a secret.