ORLANDO, Fla. – Keep the Halloween vibes and bring your hot cocoa, this is your chance to gather around a different kind of fire and hear some tales of holiday haunts.
Apparently, last year’s “A Most Haunted Victorian Christmas” was so popular that it’s returning as sequel.
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Phantasmagoria’s “An Even More Haunted Victorian Christmas” promises to tell stories of Christmas eve terrors, from classic Victorian tales to all-original stories of the holidays, including an all new tale of the Krampus.
Kaitlin Elizabeth Derbyshire plays Mercury.
“Mercury has often been called the anchor of the troupe. She resides exactly in the middle between the light and dark characters of the troupe. As an actor, we are rarely encouraged to ‘play the middle’ as it can be non-specific and lack dynamics, but in the world of Phantasmagoria, it allows me to be what the troupe and stories need,” Derbyshire said.
She also acts as an additional director for the show. Derbyshire is going on her 12th year being with the troupe. She explained how she related to her character, Mercury.
"She provides balance and in many ways I find myself doing the very same thing as I’ve always been a mediator by nature."
Cherran Dea has been part of the Phantasmagoria troupe for six years.
“What is unique about Phantasmagoria is that you aren’t ‘assigned’ a character, but you develop and create your character within the troupe. It’s fascinating to see how your character takes shape, develops, and transforms over each production,“ Dea said.
She has developed the character of Dahlia, which she described as a “quirky, dark Mary-Poppins-nanny-esque caricature.”
“Victorian society was fascinated with the morbid and the morose, a fascination that has crept its way through the generations. Phantasmagoria has a way of weaving these macabre works of literature into whimsical vignettes filled with joy, humor, and heart,” Dea said.
She went on to explain the main message she hopes the audience takes away from “An Even More Haunted Victorian Christmas.”
“We want the audience to feel as if they have been transported into our own mystifying world and have taken part in this archaic tradition of sitting around the fire and telling ghost stories. I hope audiences leave with a more intimate connection to life, death and to each other, and that our wicked little secret of once they have discovered their own story, it must be told!”
The show will be in five local cities, including Ocala, Leesburg, Sanford, Orlando, and DeLand.
Here’s a look at the schedule:
- Dec. 8: The Reilly Arts Center, Ocala
- Dec. 13-14: Melon Patch Theatre, Leesburg
- Dec. 19: The Ritz Theater at Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, Sanford
- Dec. 20-21: Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Orlando
- Dec. 22: Athens Theatre, DeLand
Click here for ticket information.
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