New company hosts Ghost Walks with opening

Whistling in the Dark Theatre Co. employs Halloween hype to help launch its debut

By Dwayne Steward

Metrmoix

Turning your craft into cash is never easy, especially if you're an actor. But some locals hope the theater gods are giving out some good luck this Halloween season.

Recent Ohio State University grads Kal Poole, D. Dwayne Blackaller and Scott Douglas Wilson make up the new Whistling in the Dark Theatre Company, and they're hoping the mix of Halloween spirit and catering to an underserved demographic will equal success.

They're putting on "The Woman in Black" through Oct. 31 at the Davis Performing Arts Center.

The troupe is taking aim at the 12 to 18-year-old set, a demo that hasn't exactly been tapped into heavily in the theater world.

"We all have backgrounds in education, so it just seemed like a perfect fit," said Poole who's taking on a role in "Woman," a two-man, Victorian-style ghost thriller. "We actually produced a production of ‘The Woman in Black' at a high school in Upper Arlington, so we just thought we'd bring the show and some of the kids to the Columbus masses."

Apart of their "foster-the-next-generation-of-theater-professionals" mission, "The Woman in Black" features a host of interns as stagehands from area schools. And their next endeavor, the in-house written collective "H.G. Wells: The Science of Fiction," is set to tour middle and high schools, as part of a science and fiction workshop.

But don't be too quick to judge—"Whistling" shows aren't just for kids.

"We create productions that are teen friendly, but that don't pander to the kids or bore adults," Poole said. "We're all about presenting a modernized re-telling of classics that interest everyone."

"Woman" features the tale of a solicitor sent to the home of a recently deceased neighbor to settle her estate. While there, he becomes trapped into staying overnight and is accompanied by a host of mysterious happenings.

"One thing theater has a hard time doing is truly frightening an audience," Poole said. "This is the first script I've read that does that very well. It's not a gore fest, but a spine-chilling kind of terrifying."

Whistling will host two shows a night during five nights throughout October. And to add to the play's haunted appeal a free Ghost Walk through the nearby Discovery District will be featured at 9 p.m. in between each show.

"The Woman in Black" opens Oct. 3 with shows at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. at the Davis Performing Arts Center, with double-productions Oct. 9-10 and 30-31. For tickets visit the Whistling in the Dark Web site.