SELECTING A GHOST Comes to Stanley Arts' Days of the Dead Festival
Performances run 6 – 9 November.
Transforming the Georgian Grade II listed venue Stanley Arts into the medieval mansion backdrop of Goresthore Grange, audiences are invited to promenade from room to room with supernatural enthusiasts Silas and Matilda D'Odds on a hunt for their ghost. Based on the short story by Arthur Conan Doyle, who once lived and worked locally to the venue in Norwood, Selecting a Ghost is an eerily witty tale of a newly-wealthy couple who have bought all the trappings of nobility for their new mansion and are only missing one thing: a ghost. After exploring their home and realising that there's no spectre to be found, it sparks a strange and spooky obsession that takes the audience on an unnerving journey as the couple put their trust in a stranger who promises to conjure them a spirit. In an epic finale, spectators will gather in the venue's great hall and take part in a ‘Ghost Selection Ceremony', which features award-winning local Hip Hop company BirdGang Ltd (OneDance UK innovation in dance Award), combining classical theatre with contemporary dance and audience interaction. Will the D'Odds finally encounter their ghost or simply be left haunted by the ordeal?
Director and creator Phil Cheadle said, "When I first came across Arthur Conan Doyle's gem of a short story, Selecting a Ghost, I immediately saw its potential for the stage—especially in a space as distinctive as Stanley Arts. My vision was to fully integrate the building into the production, making the venue itself a key part of the experience. With Stanley Arts Resident Artist BirdGang Ltd. bringing the ghosts to life through hip-hop dance, the piece gains a fresh, dynamic energy. It's a perfect blend of classic literature, ghostly hip-hop, and an unforgettable setting. Theatre can be ridiculous fun sometimes!"
Reconsider your relationship with death through art, immersive theatre and innovative technology with Stanley Arts' Days of the Dead Festival (5 Oct – 9 Nov). The festival explores themes of death, rebirth and the afterlife. Plus more live events, workshops and a free exhibition to be announced soon.
Two Lines Productions are an innovative theatre company specialising in re-imagining classic texts. Founded by actors Phil Cheadle and Lisa Caruccio Came, the company explores social and political themes to create thought-provoking, original performances. Through their work, Two Lines strives to engage modern audiences by breathing new life into beloved works, challenging conventions, and sparking meaningful dialogue.
BirdGang Ltd is an award-winning UK-based company with Hip Hop dance art forms in their DNA. They choreograph, perform, teach and produce avant-garde dance content for Live Stage Events, Theatre, TV and Film. With roots in Hip Hop culture and extensive experience in musical theatre and commercial dance forms, BirdGang are known for consistently high-quality, impactful content, in live performance, education and film. They deliver to large brands like Nike and Bose, artists such as Dizzee Rascal, Jungle and Kyan, theatres such as Sadler's Wells and Stanley Arts and students from around the world.
Stanley Arts is one of South London's premiere arts and performance venues, providing the local community with a vital home for cultural expression and discovery. As a radically inclusive space they seek to foreground under-represented voices, providing artists of colour and LGBTQ+ creatives with a platform to reach out to audiences across South London and beyond. They seek to give emerging artists across all art forms the opportunity to grow through innovation, collaboration and participation.
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