PLANCHETTE Premieres Tonight at Carroll Mansion
PLANCHETTE, an experiential theatre production and collaboration between Baltimore based playwright Annelise Montone and actor/magician Brian M. Kehoe, will premiere tonight, October 2, 2015. Mr. Kehoe plays the role of noted parapsychologist and researcher of the Ouija® Talking Board, Maxwell Fink, who will lead guests through a truly thrilling evening of theatre, magic, and mystery. Audiences will be among the very first to experience The Fink Method for Contacting the Dead and its tenants of TRUST, COHESION and TRANSMISSION.
Not many realize that the origins of the Ouija® board lie in Baltimore city. PLANCHETTE will explore those origins, beginning with a bitter feud between brothers that may continue even now, even beyond the grave. PLANCHETTE was inspired by turn-of-the-century "phantasmagorical" rituals designed to lift the veil and contact the other side. Be warned, though: when a Door opens, there's no telling what will come through. When the dead speak, they might be talking to you.
PLANCHETTE will be performed at the Carroll Mansion, a Baltimore city landmark dating from the early nineteenth century. This historic site was once the home of Charles Carroll, the last living signer of the Declaration of Independence. Today the Mansion is administered by Carroll Museums, an educational nonprofit organization, and is open to the public for guided tours.
"I approached Annelise last year about creating an interactive stage show that combined my back- ground as an actor and magician with a story that was uniquely Baltimore," says Brian M. Kehoe. "The Ouija® board is something that everyone is familiar with, but most people don't know was invented here. PLANCHETTE is my attempt to honor Baltimore and all things that are great and weird about it."
"PLANCHETTE is one of the most interesting collaborations I've ever been a part of," says Annelise Montone, playwright. "It's not only a glimpse into the history of one of Baltimore's most famous ex- ports, the board, it's also an exploration of the psychological components of magic shows and se?ances. You don't necessarily have to believe. But we're going to make you want to believe. And I think that's thrilling."
For more information on PLANCHETTE, visit: www.WhenTheDeadSpeak.com
