‘Theater in the surround’: ‘Sleepy Hollow’ at Fort No. 4

By BILL LOCKWOOD
Special to the Eagle Times
CHARLESTOWN — In 2012 the River Theater Company of Charlestown and The Fort at No. 4 in Charlestown collaborated to present a production of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” at night in the spooky recreated setting of the 18th-century stockade and buildings lit by lantern and candles alone. Based on the success of the production eight years ago, the organizations are collaborating to produce the theatrical version Washington Irving’s story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” on the two weekends before Halloween, October 12 through 14 and October 19 through 20 with shows at 7 p.m.

“’Sleepy Hollow’ fits within the Fort’s environs, and people love the legend,” said “Sleepy Hollow” director Heidi Fagan, who also directed “The Crucible.” “As soon as we discussed doing it, everyone’s eyes lit up.” 

In addition to Fagan, some other River Theater members are also returning. “It’s a very moving experience,” said Mike Delaney, an actor in both productions, “with the candle light and the night time atmosphere.” 

“We use the audience’s imagination as the most powerful tool …,” Fagan said,  [even] the cast is getting creeped out.” 

The Fort No. 4 Museum is a 1959 living-history recreation of a stockade and the buildings it surrounded. The original structure was built in 1744 by some of the residents of Settlement No. 4, now Charlestown, for protection during King George’s War of 1734 – 1748 between the British and French with their Native American allies. The Fort, the northernmost settlement along the river at the time, was attacked in 1747 by forces under the noted French general Montcalm. A force of 31 settlers held out and were victorious in a battle that lasted three days. The Fort saw no further action and by 1768 the stockade had been taken down and its wood put to other uses. The site became significant to the American Revolutionary war effort as it was used as the staging area for a 1,500-man force of New Hampshire Militia under John Stark before they marched west over the Crown Point Road to join the American forces at the Battle of Bennington. Some of Rogers’ Rangers were also there, and Erik Burke, a member of the tech crew, traces an ancestor to the Rangers. He said he was delighted to be involved in the production. Seventeen-year-old cast member Caleigh Plunkett said her first of many shows with River Theater was “The Crucible.” “It feels a lot more real than working on stage,” she said. “Working at the Fort feels like we’re telling a real story.”

Fagan has set the “Sleepy Hollow” production in 1801. She says the “time difference doesn’t matter since the locations we are using are pretty much the same as they would have been when the original fort was created in 1744.” The real Sleepy Hollow of Irving’s legend is near Tarrytown, New York on the Hudson River, as Charlestown is located on the Connecticut. 

“It will give the feel of a rural community at the time,” said Wendalyn Baker, Fort at No. 4 director, “no background noises nor a lot of lights.” She sees it as “Theater in the surround” saying, “It’s going to be an interesting experiment in environmental theater. We’re hoping far more visceral than just outdoor theater.” “It’s an amazing experiment,” said Tucker Bettez, who plays Ichabod Crane, the well-known, skeptical, new-in-town school teacher. “[The Fort setting] helps us all to be more immersed in the story we’re performing.”

The cast and crew of more than 25 includes River Theater regulars and new members as well. They will tell the story of Ichabod Crane’s love for local Katrina Van Tassel, played by Laura Carboneau, and the competition for her hand with fellow local Brom Bones, played by Brandon Norman. The play also presents a number of spooky legends, including that of the noted “Headless Horseman,” an enemy victim of the Revolution, who has haunted Sleepy Hollow since the untimely loss of his head in the war. Many of the cast play more than one role and their performance will include a bit of singing and country dancing. A number of the actors will use their improve skills as they guide the audience from one location to another to follow the action as it moves through the buildings and courtyard both within and outside the stockade of the Fort. “It should feel as if you are one of the villagers of Sleepy Hollow,” Fagan said, “watching things unfold in front of you, beside you, and even behind you.” Good walking shoes and a willingness to move around quite a bit are a must. “It’s been challenging rehearsing in candle and lantern light,” Fagan said, “but we want it to be authentic as possible.” It certainly won’t be the same as sitting in front of a stage and watching a play. 

 

Tickets and information are available through the Fort at www.fortat4.org and River Theater has a web page for information, www.rivertheater.org and both have a Facebook page.