Red Barn closes season with 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark'
FRANKLIN TWP. – The Red Barn Theatre closes its season with "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" a mystery/comedy.
Written by Tim Kelly and directed by Dee Eppihimer, it's sure to give the audience a few chills and a lot of laughs.
It's a story about Sebastian Sly, a playwright who lives in a creepy old mansion called The Shadows. His arch enemy is the clever, but snide, drama critic Sylvia Frye. She hates stage thrillers and with her ruthless reviews has forced Sebastian into retirement. In revenge, Sebastian invites her to his home where all manner of chills and thrills are trotted out to convince her she’s wrong about his work. There are other guests, a butler named Skull and a housekeeper named Bones. It is going to be frightfully funny.
The show has technically incredible special effects thanks to Mark Beighey, who has years of experience and also works at The Strand Theater and a number of high schools.
"It includes lightening, disembodied bodies and heads," he said.
The cast of five men and seven women is made up of veterans, newbies and one complete neophyte.
"Stephanie Cameron has no stage experience at all. She doesn't know left stage from right stage, but she is doing just great," Eppihimer said.
Cameron of Ellwood City, an elementary school teacher in the New Wilmington School District, said she often reads to the children and can be dramatic when she wants to get their attention, or make a point.
Cameron said there were a couple of reasons she decided to be in a play. First, she thought it would be fun and she likes to do new things that challenge her and get her out of her comfort zone.
"The second reason is that I have two children and I don't want them to be afraid to try things in life so I try to show them to step up, and I've learned you never know what you can do until you try," Cameron said.
When Cameron went to auditions she had no idea what to expect. After they described the season's shows, Cameron chose to read for "Don't be Afraid of the Dark," and she got the part.
Her daughter, Hannah, 13, attends Lincoln High School and her son, Justin, 16, is a student at the Lawrence County Career and Technical Center.
Cameron was not a theater-goer, but had been at the Red Barn many years ago with her grandmother, Jean Milnes, of the Chewton area of Wayne Township, who died three years ago.
Jessica Patterson chose "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" but was unable to direct it because of the illness and death of her baby, Harper Lynn, in August.
Eppihimer, with many years of experience, stepped up to make the play happen.
'When I first read the play I didn't like it, but the more I got into it I began to get the subtle innuendoes. When the cast delivered their lines correctly and the more it developed the funnier it got. This cast is wonderful. They figured it out and brought the funny," he said. "It's not only funny, there is a big twist and surprise at the end."
What: 'Don't Be Afraid of the Dark'
Where: Red Barn Theatre, 1279 Route 288, Franklin Township
When: 8 p.m. Friday. Saturday, September 22-24, 29, 30 and Oct. 1
Admission: $13
Reservations: http://www.RedBarnPlayers.com
Customer Service: 724-452-8082
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Don't be afraid to attend Red Barn Theater season closer
