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This weekend is your last chance to get spooked at the 'Paranormal Activity' play
Actor Patrick Heusinger in "Paranormal Activity" at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
(
Kyle Flubacker
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Courtesy Center Theatre Group
)
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3:55
'Paranormal Activity' play director on its run at the Ahmanson Theatre
Inspired by the found-footage style of the Paranormal Activity film franchise, the stage production takes place in a two-story house so the audience feels like they’re watching someone in their home. LAist host Julia Paskin spoke to the show's director Felix Barrett.
Topline:
Inspired by the found-footage style of the "Paranormal Activity" film franchise, the stage production takes place in a two-story house so the audience feels like they’re watching someone in their home.
How it got so scary: Director Felix Barrett told LAist that he and Tony Award-winning illusionist Chris Fisher worked on the illusions first. Later, they built around them so the effects are integrated into the set. “We knew that we wanted the illusions, the sort of haunting, to be so baked into the core of the piece,” Barrett said.
What to expect: The audience is pretty vocal due to all the jump scares and special effects, so the vibe is closer to a scary movie than a traditional play.
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The audience: Barrett says his team’s approach appears to be attracting new and younger theatergoers. “I think we're getting a huge amount of audience who wouldn't normally go to a theater to see a play,” Barrett said. “My favorite thing is people saying, 'Oh, my gosh, I'm gonna go and see more plays,' because we've got them hooked from this one.”
How to see it: Paranormal Activity, A New Story Live on Stage is at the Ahmanson Theatre through Sunday.
For more ... listen to our interview with Barrett above.
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