Are you brave enough to take a peek Beneath the Dust?
This Hallowe’en the doors are being opened on a largely forgotten building.
The proprietors are inviting you to The Feast – somewhere in central Dumfries.
The award-winning Bunbury Banter Theatre Company, in association with Grid Iron and Surge will be presenting Beneath the Dust – an immersive and site responsive production plan to put a real scare into Hallowe’en.
In a region, and a country, rich with folklore about witches, warlocks, ghosts, spirits, fairies, the undead (and even the Deil himself) the production draws directly on tradition but gives it a modern, unsettling update.
And rather than being safe in a cinema or in front of a TV screen watching a third rate Hollywood movie, Beneath The Dust restores Hallowe’en as a live, immersive, communal experience which turns people’s perceptions about their world upside down.
The plot is secret and audiences are simply being invited to enter a shadowy building that Dumfries residents walk past every day without giving it a second thought.
Ali Anderson-Dyer, director and co-founder of Bunbury Banter
Ali Anderson-Dyer, director and co-founder of Bunbury Banter, said: ‘Hallowe’en was traditionally a time when communities banded together to ward off darkness and evil. After all, nothing brings people closer than fear of the unknown.
‘We are creating something with more bite than a Hollywood horror movie and hope that Beneath the Dust will get people wondering how well they know the place they live, and how confident they really are that it’s all just a show.
‘After all, many people have a secret fear that the world may not be as it seems and that there might be something nasty in the shadows.
‘Beneath The Dust takes traditional ideas and gives them a twist to suit modern times. It will also make use of 21st century techniques and technology to give people what we hope will be a really gripping experience.’
Grid Iron from Edinburgh have been lending their expertise to the project. They have experience of staging performances in such diverse venues as The London Dungeon, a former jute mill, a haunted underground street in Edinburgh and parks, gardens, playgrounds and fields all over Britain and Ireland.
Producer and co-artistic director Judith Doherty said: ‘Grid Iron are delighted to lend their support to Bunbury Banter to develop Beneath the Dust. It can be hard for site-specific companies like us to tour our work outside our own area so it is great to support a company that is working hard in a part of Scotland where audiences are excited to have more innovative theatre and cultural provision.
‘The artistic direction, vision and partnerships are all Bunbury Banter, we have been there for advice on the nitty gritty side of things such as licensing, health and safety and contracts.
Scares await at Beneath The Dust
‘We have also had interesting discussions on how far to push audiences in terms of scaring the living daylights out of them! We know a bit about the journey the audience will take, but the detail of what is going to happen is a closely guarded secret – we do know that they want the show to be really scary!
‘Bunbury Banter are working really hard to create something people haven’t seen before. They have a lot of backing from the local community and we hope it is going to be a fabulous show.’
Strictly for over 18s, Beneath the Dust takes places at various times from 30 October to 2 November.
Venue: to be revealed
Dates: 30, 31 October 1, 2 November
Performance time: 6pm, 7.30pm, 9pm
Tickets: £23.50 or £19.50 concessions
Book online at http://bit.ly/beneaththedust
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