After haunting sold-out crowds three years in a row, Caravan Farm Theatre’s popular Walk of Terror spectacular returns to crank up the community fun.
This year on Oct. 28, the cast of nearly 100 volunteer performers is dredging the depths to surface one of society’s deepest fears: clowns.
“People immediately think of Barnum and Bailey and Stephen King’s Pennywise, but clowning is a very ancient tradition, spanning across many cultures,” says Estelle Shook, artistic director We’re going to be exploring the idea of “clown” in all its complexity and diversity, to create a Walk of Terror that is rich in image, performance style, and ideas. And scary. Very scary.
With an ensemble of community members, including the A.L. Fortune Drumline, ready to instill awe, fear and joy, Shook says this year’s walk is shaping up to be more spectacular than ever before.
After last year’s Walk of Terror, Shook reached out to participants to find ways to improve the experience. The feedback was enthusiastic and Shook says everything from the desire for a unified theme to the hunger for more music and community involvement in the costume contest have been added to the formula.
“The WOT is truly a community led celebration – and we want participants to feel a sense of authorship in the event. Much like the famed Burning Man festival, The WOT aspires to be a fully participatory experience,” says Shook.
Along the way, guests will have the chance to sample delicious food and drinks from a wide variety of food trucks, dance to the high-energy sounds of Blackberry Wood, take in the scenes designed using Caravan’s library of creations and gasp in awe of Kinshira’s fire-spinning wizardry.
After winding through the fields and displays, guests arrive at the timber barn for a celebratory dance featuring the crowd-favourite Freak Motif and a costume contest complete with prizes.
“We encourage everyone to come in costume: there will be a costume promenade midway through the evening so that people can appreciate the artistry and invention that goes into each creation,” says Shook. “This year’s Walk of Terror aims to be a joyful, celebratory and participatory thrill machine.”
Tickets to the Walk of Terror Spectacular are now on sale. For more information, visit the farm online at caravanfarmtheatre.com.