American Gothic: An Anthology of Terrifying Tales

Shoot the Moon Theater Company will present its fifth annual Halloween spectacular at downtown Brattleboro’s Hooker-Dunham Theater on Friday and Saturday, October 25-26 and November 1-2, in addition to a special Halloween night performance on Thursday, October 31. All showtimes are 7:30 p.m.

Artistic director Josh Moyse’s original script for American Gothic: An Anthology of Terrifying Tales is in the tradition of Dead of Night, CreepShow, Twilight Zone:The Movie, and Black Mirror, where thrills and chills are delivered in sudden bursts designed to shock audiences with terrifying twists.

“For the last few years we’ve been doing literary adaptations — Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde, Dracula, Poe stories — but we have not really been able to dive in to the tropes of the horror movie,” said Moyse. “The format allows us to explore classic horror scenes in five to twelve minutes. The fear can come and go. Then we move onto the next one, with it’s sightly different flavor.”

The narrative frame for American Gothic focuses on Joe, who is called to a country house for a possible job. Once Joe arrives, however, he realizes that he’s been there many times before — in his dreams.

Other guests arrive with their own strange and terrifying tales: a man who is stalked by Death, a harrowing night babysitting, a ghostly game of hide and seek, a nostalgic trip to Lovers’ Lane, and a ride on the ghastly Night Train. 

As our evening barrels toward its conclusion, Joe can’t help but feel that he’s forgotten something, an important detail. Will Joe remember it in time? Or will his dream become the nightmare he fears?

The American Gothic cast is comprised of familiar Shoot the Moon Theater Company members Elias Burgess, Terry Carter, Josh Goldstein, Colin Grube, Jennifer Moyse, and John Ogorzalek, along with newcomers Lionel Chute, Fiona Goodman and Dashiell Moyse. Alistair Follansbee serves as Stage Manager.

Admission is $13 and advance tickets can be purchased at www.shootthemoontheater.com. The Hooker-Dunham Theater and Gallery is located at 139 Main Street in Brattleboro, Vermont. 

ABOUT SHOOT THE MOON

Founded in 2016 by Artistic Director, Joshua Moyse, Shoot the Moon is committed to bringing high-quality, entertaining productions of original, unconventional and contemporary works to theater audiences in the region.  Shoot the Moon is the company-in-residence at Hooker-Dunham Theater & Gallery.  They produce three shows a season culminating with their annual Halloween spectacular. For more information, visit www.shootthemoontheater.com.