Haunted Opera House Tours at Landmark Community Theatre

Steph Burr • October 30, 2020

“Theatre of the Macabre” - Haunted Tableaus of Past Shows

As we know, COVID has been particularly brutal to the theater industry. This fall, Landmark Community Theatre in Thomaston created Haunted Opera House Tours that not only envoke the Halloween spirit, but also serve as an eerie metaphor for what theater has become... dead.

WARNING: This article contains spoilers about the contents of the show. If you would prefer a surprise, stop reading and get your tickets here.

The event began with excitement as groups lined up on Main Street for their turn to walk through the socially-distanced event. Waiting in line was an experience in itself, as Halloween music played and a colorful light show illuminated the outside of the building. There were even appearances by the Mystery Machine and the Ghostbusters.

It was clear that safety was a top priority. All the proper precautions were taken including requiring masks, temperature readings, and audiences were spaced far away from performers using tape on the floor to show where to stand.

While in line, each group is assigned a guide to bring them through the tour. The first part of the tour consisted of 5 small tableau stages, with scenes from past Opera House shows including the Scarlet Pimpernel, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Carrie, Sweeney Todd, and Little Shop of Horrors. Next, the guide brings you through a courtyard full of zombies and up a creepy elevator which leads to haunting organ music as you enter the main theater hall.

The show culminates with a live scene from Beetlejuice, where the cast sings about the Whole "Being Dead" Thing.

Overall, "Theatre of the Macabre" was a fun night and a great way to celebrate the Halloween season. The tableaus from the past shows remind the audience what is was like to see live theater, and really spotlight that it is not a part of our lives right now. Although the show does make you miss live theatre, it is a great homage to all the wonderful shows Landmark has done in the past.

The theater's embrance of the the Whole "Being Dead" Thing is an amusing nod to the state of community theater today. It is nice to laugh and joke about it because... what else can we do? But, like the ghosts that haunt Landmark Community Theatre, the productions may be dead for now, but it doesn't mean they are gone forever.

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The theater is also presenting a second tour option called "Graveyard Stories". This tour brings patrons to the basement, and highlights replicated graves of Thomaston residents that were once buried in the site of the current Thomaston Opera House and old firehouse. Patrons on this tour will actually be walking in the subterranean space where the bodies were buried some 140+ years earlier.

Shows are running Thursday-Friday-Saturday nights through November 7, 2020.

Click here to learn more or purchase tickets.

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