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It’s a collection of ghostly stories submitted by local writers and brought to life by local actors.
Just when we thought we’d all be stuck at home for Halloween, along comes Disentangle to drag us from our homes to the haunted surroundings of Stanley Halls for their Ghosts of Stanley Halls show. Before we go though, we wanted to know more about this creepy event and just how scared we should be. So we thought we’d go right to the heart of it all and ask Disentangled’s Tom Brocklehurst a few questions.
First things first, is this a show to be avoided for the scaredy-cats amongst us?
Well I suppose so! It’s going to be pretty spooky – so if you get scared at Nightmare Before Christmas you might want to stay at home.
We’ll admit that Stanley Halls isn’t a venue we know well, what can you tell us about it?
Stanley Halls is a beautiful old Victorian public hall in South Norwood – 2 mins from Norwood Junction rail station. It was designed by local inventor William Stanley who was a ‘self-taught’. architect, so it is a very unusual layout with secret passages and hidden rooms.
What came first, the idea for the show or the decision to host it at Stanley Halls?
We’ve been working with Stanley Halls on a few things, including their Emerging Writers Programme, and we loved the idea of making a Halloween show in this incredibly atmospheric building.
How difficult has it been to get this show off the ground in the current climate? Have you had to make any adjustments to ensure social distancing is adhered to?
Yes of course – all the audience members will need to be socially distanced and wear masks at all times. Rehearsals are currently being conducted over zoom, which is not exactly the easiest way to work!
Is it a collection of stand-alone chilling stories or will there be a running thread that we should look out for?
It’s a collection of ghostly stories submitted by local writers and brought to life by local actors.
Would it be fair to describe the show as an immersive experience then?
It’s a promenade piece, using different rooms of the halls to showcase different stories.
And finally, we’ve got a reviewer coming along on the 29th, can you guarantee we will get him back in one piece afterwards?
Haha, as long as he doesn’t take a wrong turn somewhere….
Thanks go to Tom for taking time out of his day to chat to us.
Tickets for the show are available directly from Stanley Halls
