WITCHING HOUR: SECRET CELLAR, a new Horror Anthology play by James Lucey at Burbage Theatre Co

Burbage Theatre Co presents the World Premiere of James Lucey’s “Witching Hour: Secret Cellar,” directed by Jeff Church. The third installment of Lucey’s “Witching Hour” horror anthology series, “Secret Cellar” is an entirely new play featuring a brand-new framing story and three new tales of horror.

Deep beneath a big-box store lies the Secret Cellar, a seemingly endless basement storeroom filled with forgotten merchandise, discarded Halloween decorations, strange artifacts, and things better left undisturbed. When an employee ventures downstairs in search of a missing box of zombie makeup, he encounters the cellar’s peculiar caretaker—and discovers that finding what he came for may be his only way out.

Inspired by classic horror anthologies like “Creepshow,” “Tales from the Crypt,” and “Are You Afraid of the Dark?,” the “Witching Hour” series combines genuine scares, practical theatrical horror, and dark comedy to explore the possibilities of horror in live performance.

Playwright and longtime Burbage Resident Artist James Lucey returns to the Burbage stage to lead audiences into the Secret Cellar as its mysterious caretaker, Randall. He is joined by Jordan Smith as Ernie and an ensemble of local artists including Katie Ryan, Perry Barkett, Allison Crews, Sara McCormick, Aidan Costa, and Sofia DaSilva.

Whether you’ve joined Burbage for previous installments of “Witching Hour” or are entering the series for the first time, “Secret Cellar” stands entirely on its own. This is not a remount or revision of “Witching Hour Social Club,” but a completely new collection of strange, funny, bloody, and genuinely frightening stories created specifically for live performance.

“Witching Hour: Secret Cellar” runs for eight performances only, October 22–November 1, at Burbage Theatre Co’s Wendy Overly Studio Theatre, 59 Blackstone Avenue, Pawtucket, RI. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 7:30pm, including a special Halloween performance on Saturday, October 31.