Center REP to Present the East Bay Premiere of THE WOMAN IN BLACK
Performances will run from November 5–23, 2025.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Sep. 18, 2025
This fall, Center Repertory Company will present the East Bay premiere of the original London production of Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black, performing at the Lesher Center for the Arts (1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek) beginning Wednesday, November 5 and running through Sunday, November 23, 2025.
“It's an honor to bring London's West End production all the way to Walnut Creek just in time for spooky season,” says Center REP Artistic Director Matt M. Morrow. “This classic tale is told through a fresh and inventive new point of view that will keep you on the edge of your seat and reaffirm your belief in the power of live theatre!”
The second longest-running play in the history of London’s West End, The Woman in Black is the chilling theatrical event that has kept over seven million theatergoers on the edge of their seats for more than 30 years. When a young lawyer encounters a mysterious figure on the lonely, desolate estate he is charged to settle after the death of its owner, he believes his life has become cursed. To help him exorcise the dark specter from his life, he engages a skeptical actor to help him tell his terrifying story and together they unspool the mysteries hidden among the moors of the haunted estate. Hailed by critics as “a white-knuckle thrill” (San Francisco Chronicle) and “Ingenious!” (New York Times) Center REP audiences will be lured into the pulse-pounding and spine-tingling ghostly world of their own imaginations… what happens next is something you must see to believe!
Susan Hill’s novel, The Woman in Black, was originally published in 1983 and has thrilled and spooked millions of readers ever since. Robin Herford commissioned Stephen Mallatratt to adapt the novel for the stage in 1987 and it was produced as a Christmas show at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, U.K. After months of sold-out performances, the play transferred to London’s West End in January 1989 where it has been enthralling audiences ever since. Numerous national and international tours have followed over the years.
The Off-Broadway production of The Woman in Black opened at New York’s The McKittrick in early 2020 and was named a New York Times “Critic’s Pick.” The production received the 2020 Off-Broadway Alliance Award for “Best Play Revival” and was nominated for three Drama League Awards, including “Outstanding Play Revival” and “Distinguished Performance.” The Woman in Black returned to The McKittrick for a limited engagement on October 21, 2021.
The classic chiller was released as a major motion picture starring Daniel Radcliffe in 2012, and soon became the highest grossing British horror film in 20 years.
The cast of The Woman in Black includes David Acton, James Byng, and Ben Porter. Adapted by Stephen Mallatratt and directed by Robin Herford, the creative team for The Woman in Black includes Michael Holt (Production Design), Anshuman Bhatia (Lighting Design), Sebastian Frost (Sound Design), AnTony Eden (Associate Director), Maggie Spanuello (Associate Director), and PW Productions (Producer).
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