Henry James’ famous 1898 tale, “The Turn of the Screw,” is a classic Gothic ghost story that’s been the foundation for many other stories, from the TV show “Lost” to the 2001 Nicole Kidman movie “The Others.”
For local theater director Ben Layman, it’s long been a favorite, and for nearly 20 years he’s been searching for the play adaptation he saw when he was in high school, one that stripped the story down to just two actors playing all the parts. A chance encounter on YouTube led him to Jeffrey Hatcher’s 1996 adaptation, the one that he remembered from all those years ago. Layman, always on the lookout for a good Halloween season show, snapped it up for Ten Bucks Theatre’s fall 2014 production, opening this weekend at Comins Hall in Eddington.
“It’s just two people running around playing many characters, and it’s always stuck out in my mind,” said Layman. “I’ve always loved ghost stories and creepy things. … When I found this version, I knew I wanted to direct it.”
Ten Bucks Theatre’s “Turn of the Screw” features two young actors: recent University of Maine theater graduate Jesse McCormick (Penobscot Theatre’s “The Rocky Horror Show”) and Franklin-based performer Melissa Burkart (Ten Bucks Theatre’s “Julius Caesar”). Burkart plays the lead character, the innocent governess sent to care for two orphaned children in an English country estate. Once there, she begins to experience terrifying visions of spirits and learns of some of the horrible secrets behind the children and other employees at the house. The other characters are all played by McCormick.
“It all rests on their shoulders, and they’re doing an incredible job,” said Layman. “They both have excellent acting instincts.”
Layman and company have constructed a spare, simple set to further emphasize the acting, though he points out that lighting designer Susan Dunham Shane has created an atmospheric and spooky lighting design to up the creepy factor.
“There’s something so much creepier about the things we don’t see and leaving things to our own imaginations,” said Layman. “Like it is in the play, I think it’s scarier to not know what exactly you’re seeing or hearing, or if it’s real or not.”
Ten Bucks Theatre’s production of “The Turn of the Screw” has performances set for 7 p.m. Oct. 24-25 and Oct. 31-Nov. 1, and 2 p.m. Oct 26 and Nov. 2, at Comins Hall on Route 9 in Eddington. One hour prior to the shows on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, there will be a storytelling presentation of Maine ghost stories, free to ticket holders. All tickets are $10.
For more information, visit Ten Bucks Theatre on Facebook.
