Graphic by Yolanda Fundora

(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Vivid Stage, in residence at Oakes Center at 120 Morris Avenue in Summit, is celebrating its 30th Anniversary season, marking decades of bringing contemporary theatre to audiences in the state of New Jersey. This season, the company will present thirty performances of different kinds, in locations all over the region. Next up is A Very Spooky Special, a Halloween variety show, on Saturday, October 12, 2024 at 8:00pm.

This variety show will feature songs, dance and sketches that embody the theatricality and magic of Halloween, with a cast of over a dozen performers. Dancers will perform the classic “Thriller” choreography and the original “Day-O” scene from Beetlejuice, and audience members will be invited to do the “Time Warp.” On the musical side are “Feed Me” from Little Shop of Horrors, Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire,” “The Headless Horseman,” and many more. Rounding out the show are an aerial yoga performance and scenes that spoof trick-or-treating enthusiasm and the three witches from Macbeth.

The cast includes Ciara Chanel, Wendy Connolly, Sarah Cuneo, Sean Diveny, Laura Ekstrand, Angela Della Ventura, André DeSandies, Katelyn Loss, Gail Lou, Brandon Luckenbaugh, Beth Painter and Melody Stubbs, with pianist Eddie Guttman. Costumes are welcome and encouraged in the audience.

A Very Spooky Special will appear at the Oakes Center on Saturday, October 12 at 8:00pm. Tickets are $28, $23 for seniors and $18 for students 25 and younger.  Tickets are available for purchase online. Oakes Center is wheelchair accessible; assisted listening devices and large print materials are available upon request.

Vivid Stage was founded in 1994 as Dreamcatcher Rep, and is a non-profit professional ensemble of actors who build community with the audience by sharing contemporary, life-affirming stories that challenge, energize and entertain. Their work has at its heart a belief in the essential goodness of people and the power of live performance to connect people through our shared humanity. They expose theatregoers to ideas and lives like and unlike their own with the intention of awakening their imaginations and creating empathy for others. They deepen the experience of all their patrons with personal contact through receptions, talkbacks, and interactive programs.

The company’s activities include mainstage productions, improvisational comedy and cabarets, new play readings and a variety of educational and senior outreach programs.

Vivid Stage’s programs are funded by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and many other corporations, foundations and individuals. Vivid Stage is an Equity Producing member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.

Vivid Stage, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) corporation, incorporated under the laws of the State of New Jersey.