The scariest part about this Halloween is that we’re all quarantined inside, away from the giant costume celebrations, horror movies and haunted houses that usually populate October. But lucky for us, there’s a cool new option for LIVING your favorite horror scenes! QuaranSCREAM live is an AWESOME and fun way to celebrate the Halloween season without heading out into big crowds — because it brings the horror of Halloween home to you. I was able to preview this ingenious new experience this past week, and I gotta tell ya — it’s like having a horror party, but without the masks and crowds.
Here’s what it is—for the first time ever, an all-new online theatre experience will merge live performances and produced video segments to engage viewers in the transformative adaptation of the classic slasher film Scream set during quarantine. This initial experiment in “Post-COVID Theatre” is a first-of-its-kind remote production as “QuaranSCREAM Live” blends the best of all entertainment mediums for audiences to enjoy the thrill of live theatre from the comfort and safety of their homes while also being a part of this terrifying story.
The night I took part, we all got our Zoom links ahead of time, we entered the “Scream” room, had cool music, got our drinks ready (because there’s a drinking game involved as well), and waited for the show to start. We were able to chat with our fellow participants, so it felt like a communal experience. And then the show started, with the actors performing LIVE, in real-time, interspersed with pre-taped segments.
I turned the lights off, lit the pumpkins, popped open my Figueroa Mountain Brewing Lizard’s Mouth beer, and waited for the drinking moments onscreen. The actors acted out the Scream film, but with a new twist — everyone was in quarantine, so it was pretty clever how the story was adjusted to fit our new reality. And don’t worry — they didn’t just “Zoom” each other…. there was actual onscreen “killing” depicted, along with blood, scares, the works. These guys did it up super cool!
Tickets are on sale now for the online performances of “QuaranSCREAM Live” on Saturday, October 17; Saturday, October 24 and Friday, October 30 at 7pm PST / 10pm EST.
“QuaranSCREAM Live” reimagines the classic comedy-horror in 2020 and life in quarantine when during the pandemic, a masked killer begins terrorizing a small town. Using social media and video chats, a group of friends try to stay alive by following the “rules” of horror films but the deadly stalker always seems to be one click ahead of them.
Viewers will have the opportunity to drive the story and navigate the rules themselves as they determine whether these friends survive the night.
“QuaranSCREAM Live” is produced and directed by Nate Weber and Allison Fox through their new joint venture, 88Twenty Group. Starring in the live comedy-horror are Zach Villa (“American Horror Story: 1984”), Riley Costello (“Hairspray Live!,” Wicked) and Alisha Soper (“Feud: Bette and Joan”). For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit: http://quaranscream.com/.
