MCT's Out of the Box Productions to Present THE WOMAN IN BLACK, 10/26-27

Produced in smaller, more intimate venues across the region, Out of the Box productions, presented by MCT, Inc. will offer audiences honest depictions of thought-provoking, creative and imaginative works that are unafraid of simplicity.

Based on the novel by Susan Hill, The Woman in Black combines the power and intensity of Live Theatre with a cinematic quality inspired by the world of film noir. It gives audiences an evening of unremitting drama as they are transported into a terrifying and ghostly world.

"The Woman in Black is a long-running hit," says director Andy Meyers. "But there is still a little confusion as to what it is. I can tell you it's not a horror story, but more of a goose-bump, suspense story. It's a show that will play well at a small venue with minimal furniture and set pieces, because the emphasis will be on the storytelling." Meyers is a Missoula native whose background includes directing and/or choreographing Fort Peck Summer Theatre's All Shook Up, Big River, Hairspray, Leading Ladies, Gypsy and Willy Wonka. He toured the nation as Bert Healy in Annie and Carl in Bus Stop and starred as Dick in the 35th Anniversary Off-Broadway Revival of Dames at Sea, and most recently played Patsy in Spamalot on Sanibel Island, FL and Norman Petty in The Buddy Holly Story in Arizona.

The Woman in Black

Proud and solitary, Eel Marsh House surveys the windswept reaches of the English salt marshes beyond Nine Lives Causeway. Arthur Kipps (played by Don Fuhrmann), a junior solicitor, is summoned to attend the funeral of Mrs. Alice Drablow, the house's sole inhabitant, unaware of the tragic secrets which lie hidden behind the shuttered windows. It is not until he glimpses a wasted young woman, dressed all in black, at the funeral, that a creeping sense of unease begins to take hold. This feeling is deepened by the reluctance of the locals to talk of 'the woman in black' (played by Megan Wiltshire) - and her terrible purpose. Years later, as an old man, Kipps recounts his experiences to an unnamed actor (played by Matt Loehrke) in a desperate attempt to exorcise the ghosts of the past.

The play unfolds around the conversations of these two characters as they act out the solicitor's experiences on Eel Marsh all those years ago. The Woman in Black is now celebrating 25 years in the West End. Over 7 million people have lived to tell the tale of one of the most exciting, gripping and successful theatre events ever staged.

"I watched it in London's West End about ten years ago," says Meyers. "I like the fact that it's a great ghost story, there is no gore. It's more about anticipation and tension and goose-bumps. It is definitely a thriller that leaves so much to the patrons' imagination. I look forward to directing it."

Performances of The Woman in Black take place on Saturday, October 26th and Sunday, October 27th at 7:30 p.m. at the Zootown Arts Community Center (ZACC). General admission tickets are $12, which includes entry to the Haunted House thirty minutes before the show. There will be a special dinner theatre show at The Keep on Thursday, October 31st. Dinner begins at 6 p.m.; show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $50, which includes your choice of a prime rib, salmon, or chicken dinner, first drink, dessert, and gratuity. Tickets go on sale Tuesday, October 8th. There are only 50 seats available at each performance. After October 25th at 5 p.m., tickets to the ZACC performances must be purchased at venue. For tickets, call (406) 728-7529, or visit www.MCTinc.org

 

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