This month, the Isaac Dixon Boat House at Fairhaven Lake will play host to its first Spot On Lancashire event, bringing Kindred Theatre’s ‘The Haunted Man’, a brand new adaptation of a Dickens classic, to audiences in Lytham.
The show will take place on Sunday 21st October at 7pm inside the Boat House. Tickets are priced at £10 for adults, £6 for children and are available from St Annes Town Hall or by calling 01253 658443. More information and online booking is available at www.spotonlancashire.co.uk.
In this ghostly production, four versatile actors take the audience through a world of shadows and candlelight on a journey that moves between the modern day and 1850, and between contemporary reality and the fictional world of Dickens’ original story.
It is Christmas Eve and Jonathan has recently moved into a care home. His mind is deteriorating and reality is becoming confused, but one memory stays strong – the one memory he wishes to forget. A present is left for him; a copy of Dickens’ The Haunted Man, and the forgotten inscription from Jonathan’s past sparks a ghostly visitation, a phantom offering an irresistible gift – the gift of forgetting. But the true cost of the phantom’s bargain soon shows itself as the book and Jonathan’s life begin to merge…
Kindred Theatre’s atmospheric production about love, loss and the true value of memory is a blend of candlelight, shadows, puppetry, original music and theatrical storytelling. It is a gripping and entertaining evening, but also thought provoking with resonance to contemporary and growing issues of dementia and social care – a reminder that in many ways, so little has changed since Dickens’ own time.
The production is accompanied by an audio exhibition of real life stories gathered from Kindred Theatre’s intergenerational events held in collaboration with Age UK and other community organisations across the UK in Spring 2018. Recorded in their own voices, these funny, moving, and surprising memories come from people aged between 16 to 100. These ‘audio pictures’ resonate with the themes of the play and aim to enthral and intrigue audience members, opening a window into the lives of those whose backgrounds may be very different to us.
Cllr Cheryl Little, Chair of the Tourism and Leisure committee, says “Do you dare come along and be entertained? Please do come and join friends and family at Fairhaven Lake for this spooky production supported by Fylde Council and the Friends of Fairhaven Lake. Remember to wrap up warm as it’s not just the performance that will give you chills!”
Lyndsey Wilson, Spot On Programmer, explains how excited the team are to be bringing the show to Lancashire: “We are delighted to be able to bring this performance from Kindred Theatre to Fairhaven Lake, what a brilliant setting for a haunting tale! The show has the perfect blend of candlelight, shadows, music and theatrical storytelling, just right for the dark autumn evenings.”
‘The Haunted Man’ tour forms part of Spot On Lancashire’s Autumn season of touring, which includes a number of theatrical performances from professional companies. For more information about any of these shows or to see the full Spot On season programme, visit www.spotonlancashire.co.uk, call Lyndsey on 01254 660360 or email hello@spotonlancashire.co.uk
