HÄXAN: A WITCHCRAFT MUSICAL to Have Staged Workshop at Theatre 166
Writer-director Ryan Shealy and composer Aaron Nicolas reunite with cast from their production of Dracula.
This June, the Renaissance opens the doors of Theatre 166 to a fully staged workshop of Häxan: A Witchcraft Musical, a haunting new musical about fear, suspicion, and the surprising similarities we share with those we're taught to condemn. Written by Ryan Shealy (who also directs), with music and lyrics by Aaron Nicolas, Häxan is based on the 1922 silent horror film classic and explores how communities fracture under tyranny and superstition.
This is the same creative team that brought last year's sold-out Dracula to life-and many of the cast members are returning as well. If you were in that audience and felt the electricity of that terrifying experience, Häxan is calling you back.
Set in medieval Sweden, the story spirals through a witch hunt-a taut, psychological descent into mass hysteria, false confessions, and the question at the heart of every scapegoating moment: Why do we keep burning each other? It's gothic. It's intimate. It's unavoidably relevant.
Aaron Nicolas, composer and music producer, says the collaboration was a no-brainer. "We had been wanting to write something together for a while. Ryan brought Häxan to the table as a potential option and asked me to watch the film. I immediately knew that this was the piece we were meant to work on together. It was meant to be." The score weaves post-punk, medieval folk, and Catholic mass into something wholly original.
The cast features Samantha Woodill as Karna, Jacob Poiner as Brother Henrik, Zakari Ramos as Brother John, Nykera Gardner as Anna, Nikki Stitak as Sister Cecilia, McKenna Stoffer as Trina, George Swarn as Brother Rasmus, Mindy Tishue as Maria, with ensemble members Haley Bedocs, Darius Darmody, Ethan Chapman, and Molly McClanahan.
The creative team includes Musical Director Jacob Poiner, Costume and Wig Design by Linda Turske, Set Design by Jason Kaufman (with construction by Kaufman and Noah Schenk), Sound Design by Ethan Kershner, and Lighting Design by Nikolas Demers.
Häxan: A Witchcraft Musical plays Theatre 166-the black box theatre at the Renaissance-for six performances: June 5, 6, 12, and 13 at 7:30 PM, and June 7 and 14 at 2:30 PM.
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