CHARLESTOWN — Following the success of their 2012 collaboration of staging Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” on location at the Fort 4 in Charlestown, River Theater and Fort 4 have again decided to team up and present “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” for October 2018, and will soon hold auditions.
This production, like “The Crucible” will be staged on the Fort grounds and in and around the buildings, at night and lit by lantern and candlelight.
“We’ve been asked every year when we would do another show like “The Crucible” during one of our monthly RTC board meetings, we were brainstorming plays that would work in the Fort environment, when “Sleepy Hollow” was suggested. The response was pure excitement, and when I approached Wendy Baker, the Fort’s director, she was equally enthusiastic,” said director Heidi Fagan.
Fagan directed “Crucible” and is excited to return again to Fort 4 to bring the classic Washington Irving story to life.
“I love the storytelling style of the script and the ghost stories that are woven into the scene. I know that audiences will look forward to experiencing the historical ambience of the Fort in a whole new manner,” she said.
Auditions will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, May 21 and Wednesday, May 23 or by appointment at the Town Hall in Charlestown. A cast of more than 20 actors ranging in age from children to older adults will be needed to play not only the leading roles of Ichabod Crane, Brom Bones, Katrina Von Tassel but also a host of schoolchildren and villagers.
A true ensemble cast, the villagers are also narrators and storytellers of the legends of Tarrytown, including the story of the Headless Horsemen. Fagan is also looking for a horse and handler that would be interested in adding a four-legged cast member to the production.
Rehearsals will be dependent on actors’ schedules, but the plan is to do two days a week beginning the week of June 18 through summer. Rehearsals would be more frequent in September and October.
For those interested in working behind the scenes with sets, props, special effects and costumes a meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 30.
Additional information will be posted on both the River Theater website www.rivertheater.org and the theater’s Facebook page “River Theater of Charlestown” as well as on the Fort 4 webpage, www.fortat4.org, and Facebook page.
Shows will run Oct. 12-14 and Oct. 19-21. Ticket information to be released in late spring.
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