Trio of Terror

We went and saw Tell Tale Heart on Saturday night and loved it, so well performed. My husband and I were amazed and decided to head back to see the Raven later that evening. They were both excellent performances, though I especially loved seeing David get out of the straight jacket. We didn't make it to see the Black Cat, but will try next year. Very well done.

I haven't asked David yet if he's not been able to make it out of the straight jacket ; ) That would freak me out being in one of those whether it was loose or not.

It's well done though. That's the type of thing that could be really visually distracting. But it's not.

I like Chris' old-fashioned convict costume & rattling chains in the Black Cat too. The first time I saw it I was like woah they got a convict from the 1920's to do this ; ) He reminds me a lot of my cousin a school teacher.

I went to Tell Tale Heart and loved the performance. I've been to the others in previous and loved them too. I hope this keeps going! Thanks David! :)

One thing that has nothing to do with David's performance is the noise from outside, especially Maverick. I sat on the side with Maverick and it was difficult to hear at times and really was bothersome. CP should enclose the "theatre" like they do Little House on Boo Hill or whatever it is called. This would really add to the intensity of the performance.

I always liked the ambient sounds. It adds to that Halloween feel like hearing a ghost story in the middle of a graveyard or something (not meant to be taken literally). David and I discussed that briefly. He can speak for himself but I'll note he said he was worried about Maverick before it was built.

They toned down the Skyhawk sound considerably this year. Werewolf Canyon didn't have a loud raspy wolf howl soundtrack this year either. Some people go on Fridays so they don't have to hear the train whistle. I personally like the ambient sounds and the black-out tarp.

I'm not sure if plywood would really deaden the sound. It would make the acoustics louder unless they also hung drapery inside. But that would be an interesting thing for them to try to figure out. Just as long as they keep it in that great former glass blowing amphitheater.

David, the performance of Tell Tale Heart is absolutely amazing. My speech prof here at IWU was rather surprised when I mentioned the Trio of Terror in a class discussion and was talking about how well the three of them are performed. Since Halloweekends has the performances on video I'll have to give him the links so he can get a better idea, because I know my verbal description definitely doesn't do your performance any kind of justice. Keep up the great work, and I can't wait to see the series next fall!

I love all three and saw each one numerous times. The Tell Tale Heart is my favorite.

I agree...we are a team.

The jacket has it's moments. Sometimes it's soft and easy to work with and other times it's stiff like canvas....depends on the humidity.
I've had it rip my mic nearly off my head...;-)

We were concerned at first that it might be distracting but it seems to add to the character. It truly sets up the premise that "David" is insane.

...and yes....it was creepy the first time I put it on. I made the comment that: "If I wasn't crazy before I was put in this thing , I would be after a few hours!" It's not a "comfortable" feeling...lol

Yes, the video was very helpful. I look forward to reviewing the next "version".

I like the ambient sounds too, but they do get a bit loud at times....
...my favorite moment was during a thunderstorm.....the lightning cracks and the rumbles were almost on cue. I had one serious "techie" working for me that night!!

Thanks Randi for the comment....yes, I had to do some "homework" to understand the different "characteristics" of the idea of insanity.

I find it facinating and admire anyone that can help someone overcome it.

There's no hope for "David" however.....

Sadly I only made it to the Black Cat on Friday. I just never got over there for The Tell-Tale Heart. I'll really try and get there next year, this is the first time I've missed it in a few years.

TTH is definitely the best of the 3, and I don't really like Black Cat. I don't think its the actor though, I think its just not that good of a story. Its pretty much a rehash of TTH.

David, thank you for stopping by! Your performances are amazing, and actually made my 13 year old want to start reading Poe!

Btw, I recently put David's '06 Tell-Tale Heart 3-part videos in a Playlist. Click "Play All Videos" then youtube will play the three parts in order automatically:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=239CCD12A08F19EB

I also made a Playlist for Chris' '06 The Black Cat 2-part video

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=A5B86334B44EE01C

The Raven both '06 & '07 fit in a single video each under youtube's 10 min limit so there was no need for a Playlist.

TTH '07 will be uploaded this weekend. I didn't tilt the camera like I did as an experiment last year, just slow zooms & pans.

*** Edited 11/1/2007 4:34:31 AM UTC by HalloWeekends!***

Here you go. A Playlist of my three-part video documentation of David's 2007 Tell-Tale Heart. (youtube limits a clip to 10 minutes and the performance is approx 24 minutes). I intentionally broke the individual clips at points where it leaves you wanting to hear more as opposed to a logical break in the story that makes each clip stand on its own like 2006.

From the video description: To see the entire performance click on "Play All Videos" at: http://www.youtube.com/my_playlists?p=8353A721577BC4A8

"David" changes his tone to contrast last year's performance. 2006 was to me an apologetic insane character. This year...well......take a look!

This was a pleasure to tape. Even if my hand was numb towards the end with the hand-held!

Chris does the intro off-stage voice.

The large HalloWeekends crowd can be heard in the background as they walk past the Glassblowing ampitheater. But David's command of the stage draws you in and transcends any ambient noise. Well done!

Cedar Point Amusement Park HalloWeekends 2007. Video taken on Saturday, Oct 27, 2007.

Note: Comments have been turned on at the request of the performers. Please leave feedback so they know what you think of the shows. (or post it here).

*** Edited 11/3/2007 7:03:25 AM UTC by HalloWeekends!***

I was able to view the update and I agree...the "tone" is very different. Thanks for sharing.

I'm glad to see that Heather's 13 year old was inspired as well. I've had several students inform me that they were able to "ace" their tests after seeing the show. It "brought it to life" for them! I find that very rewarding.

I'm looking forward to next year!!

David

Same here! I have a clip somewhere of Misc HW '07 Atmosphere that captured a kid with blinking devil horns walking out as Chris was tearing down the stage. The kid says: "That was Awesome!" after The Raven performance.

I think the presentation of some others reading it is well done and I applaud their efforts but really really dry. Maybe a technical deficiency too. One is a woman and it shows how the meaning can be re-interpreted just by that fact alone. But I can't watch more than 10 seconds without falling asleep.

The interesting thing you proved between '06 and '07 is how differently the text and it's tone can be interpreted in performance with the same actor, same stage, similar set, slightly different lighting cues, same costume but with different use of it etc. Something tells me Poe would have gotten a kick out of it.

I left all videos at "10" views for starters to track how people are viewing it.

I'm pleased the number of views is relatively even on this video set so far. It means some are watching the entire performance this time around. The Playlist may help. This is Saturday as I type. So it might help make time for 24 minutes of Poe.

The performance is engaging regardless. It's interesting to see how the large crowd noise outside is at first distracting but really recedes into the background just because of your performance as it reaches it's crescendo or denouement (fancy $10 word for climax or resolution ; )

===
Btw, David you should share the story about how you took control of the stage back from a couple teenage punks who wouldn't shut up. Wish I had seen that!

*** Edited 11/3/2007 6:57:21 PM UTC by HalloWeekends!***

Thank you Halloweekends. I'm glad you noticed the changes. The inspiration comes from the number of people that I talk to that has told me they see it every year.

The "tone" can be set by interaction with the audience. This "interaction" is subtle and may simply involve a look or comments.
For example, the group you refer to was disruptive and seemed to have little respect for the audience around them. As I sat on the box I could see people in the center and right sections looking over at them. As I delivered my opening lines they continued to talk. I stopped, turned to them and glared. One responded"Sorry dude." and they fell silent. The show continued uninterrupted and "David" was a bit more "sinister"..

A former student of mine was in attendance and told me that was one of the most impressive moments he had ever seen in the theatre. He said: "You took control of the situation without saying a word!"

I'm glad it can work that way. I'd hate to see the usher escorting people out because they didn't have respect for the people around them.

People come there to have fun and I do my best to ensure that they do.