Opera House Readies for Ghosts

By Dylan Marsh
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
NEWPORT — Renowned paranormal investigator Adam Berry is returning to the Newport Opera House on September 16, 2022, for an evening of ghosts and gags. This will be the second year of his original show “Real Ghost Stories.”

Berry is well known as the co-star of the hit Travel Channel show “Kindred Spirits”, which first aired in October 2016. According to Berry, working in the field of paranormal investigation began with his own paranormal experience, and then as a deeply beloved hobby, and eventually turned into a career. Many people will also recognize Berry from the well-known television show “Ghost Hunters”, which featured members of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (T.A.P.S). Berry won his spot on the show after being invited onto the competition reality show “Ghost Hunter Academy.”

These days Berry, and his “Kindred Spirits” co-star Amy Bruni, travel the country searching for things that go bump in the night, and they feel as though the Newport Opera House is the perfect place to go hunting. “I love Newport, NH! The people and community are amazing. Loving, supportive and just truly top notch. The opera house community was introduced to me by my friend Nathan. He told me that growing here was very special. I agree!” Berry told the Eagle Times over e-mail correspondence.

The show, which begins at 7:30pm on Friday evening, will feature multiple sections. The night will begin with a speaking engagement, which Berry says really just comes from his love of sitting around the campfire telling spooky stories. There will also be a question-and-answer portion of the show, in which guests are given the opportunity to ask Berry anything from personal paranormal experiences he’s had, to the places he’s been able to travel with the show. After the show, there will also be a meet and greet portion of the event. Lastly, in a portion that show producer Nathan Gardner describes as the “icing on the cake” Berry, along with VIP ticket holders, will hunt for ghosts in the Newport Opera House using professional paranormal investigation equipment and tools.

“I miss those days when we’d all sit around and tell spooky stories by campfire or candlelight. I thought bringing my own experiences and true tales that I have witnessed involving the paranormal would be a perfect opportunity to get back to that amazing tradition. After all, the best stories are the ones we relay person to person… and when they are real, it’s even more exciting,” Berry wrote.

Last year, “Real Ghost Stories” came to the opera house after a conversation between Gardner and Opera House Director Meg Cowan. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the opera house had been closed to events for a significant portion of time and Cowan wanted to put on a benefit show to bring people out. Gardner, who is friends with Berry and knew Cowan was a fan of “Kindred Spirits”, suggested putting on a show. As a fan and resident of New England, and a lover of haunted theaters, Berry jumped at the opportunity, according to Gardner. Due to the success of the event in Newport, the team has discussed doing a national tour and Gardner says that he’s, “happy something like that can come out of a small town in New Hampshire.”