Portrait of Washington Irving by John Wesley Jarvis
Classic Horror Gallops Onto NC Stage October 12-16
An old frightening favorite gets a new twist just in time for Halloween as the Immediate Theatre Project (ITP) premiere of Live From WVL Radio Theater: The Headless Hessian of Sleepy Hollow And Other American Horror Stories comes to NC Stage October 12–16.
Realizing that America in the 1930s and 1940s was the “ideal setting for a radio play” led to a fresh adaptation of an old favorite, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, says ITP’s producing artistic director Willie Repoley.
“All the key elements of the story,” he says, “have 20th century counterparts.” Irving himself identified his headless horseman as a German soldier. “So the Hessian fighting for Britain in the American Revolution became a Nazi soldier, and the rest of the story started to fall into place.”
Two other classic horror stories—Edgar Allan Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart and the story of Lizzie Borden wielding her famous axe—round out the show. In classic radio-play fashion, the show will feature just four actors, live sound effects and original music.
Wednesday through Saturday performances are at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday’s performance is at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15- $25, with $10 tickets for students.
ITP has been a Partner Company in Residence at NC Stage since 2008. Its most recent production is Grounded, running through October 9, as part of NC Stage’s Mainstage Season.
NC Stage is located at 15 Stage Lane in downtown Asheville. To learn more about ITP and the current season, visit immediatetheatre.org. For tickets, call 828.239.0263 or visit ncstage.org.
