THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 23, 1994 TAG: 9410210358
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
Visitors to the Halloween attractions at Northwest River Park next weekend will encounter two types of horrors.
They'll see imaginary horrors when they hitch a ride on the popular Ghost Train, and they'll see real-life horrors at the House of Horrors sponsored by Chesapeake Pride.
In the past, the Ghost Train has been so popular the crowds had to stand around while waiting their turn. To keep people entertained during the wait, Ghost Train officials set up a haunted house a few years back.
Last year, the Mayor's Task Force on Drugs and the Chesapeake Parks and Recreation Department organized and presented a drug house of horrors.
This year, Chesapeake Pride has taken over the project and will take patrons through ``Crime and Punishment,'' a 10-minute journey through one person's drug-induced hell.
Chesapeake Pride is a volunteer repertory company of Chesapeake teens, which gives performances throughout the region espousing drug-free lives for youth.
This year's House of Horrors enlists the aid of 35 Chesapeake teens, directed and supervised by Billy Williams, Pride's creative director.
Williams said his group will show in four dramatic scenes how people's lives can be destroyed by drugs. The project's script was created by Williams and members of the troupe.
``We all came up with a script, giving a general story line,'' Williams said. ``We planned out each of the four scenes, but the dialogue will be ad-libbed by the players. We'll have cue lines to signal the action.''
The action shows a drug addict robbing a couple at gunpoint, committing a senseless act of murder, being arrested and tried, and finally being executed in the electric chair.
The four scenes are:
An alleyway - A couple coming home from a date are robbed by an addict hiding in the darkness. ``He takes the guy's wallet, calls him a sucker and shoots him,'' Williams said.
The killer's apartment - The addict sits at a table covered with drugs, drug paraphernalia and the murder weapon. The police, played by real uniformed auxiliary police, burst in, arrest the killer and drag him away in handcuffs.
A courtroom - The killer stands in front of the judge with his back to the audience. Facing the crowd, the prosecutor and judge talk to the audience, who will fill in as the jury.
Execution room - The killer is sentenced to death by the court and meets his end dramatically.
Williams hopes the scenes will be shock therapy for the audience.
``We hope it will have the same effect as something like `Scared Straight.' '' he said. ``This is not Dracula and wolfman stuff. It's horrible and frightening, but it's not fantasy. This is happening every night in any town in the U.S.''
He said if the drama reaches just one person, if it makes just one think before taking drugs, it will be worth all of the work, rehearsing, hassles and free time these Chesapeake teens have devoted to the project.
``I think these kids will do a strong enough drama that will help shock a few people away from drugs,'' Williams said. ``They'll pull it off. These are talented kids. It's the best Pride team we've ever had.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
Left to right, Pamela Noftz, Marcie Trotta, Thom Gay and Jason Rue
practice the electric chair scene at Chesapeake Pride's House of
Horrors.
AT A GLANCE
The Northwest River Park Ghost Train and House of Horrors will be
in operation Oct. 27-29 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the park, 1733
Indian Creek Road. Trains leave the station every half-hour.
Tickets are $3, which includes both the train and a visit to the
house. Chesapeake Pride members will be selling special Halloween
suckers to help finance the group's trip to the national Pride
conference next spring in Indianapolis.
For more information, call 421-7151.
by CNB