A Halloween celebration in Cranford Park.
Cranford House is long gone, but the stories live on. Cranford Park’s own ghost the grey lady haunts the estate and has been seen in the woods, by the churchyard and in the remaining stables along with other spirits and unexplained happenings. Stories passed down 400 years, from the time of the mysterious ‘Knights Templars’ to the controversial Mary Cole, Countess of Berkeley formed the basis of Theatre Merchants’ production in 2012 at Halloween.
In the pitch black of night, the adult audience were guided by the ‘Gatekeeper’ with lanterns around the remains of the house and woodlands where they glimpsed strange figures in the distance, heard unnerving noises, met troubled people from the past and treated to various shocks and surprises along the way. A bespoke piece of shadow puppetry was commissioned to compliment the action.
In addition to the night show, Theatre Merchants created a children’s Halloween promenade production involving live music and dance and a pre-show afternoon of craft-making for families including the construction of large willow-frame lanterns.