MAPPA Mundi is hitting the road again this autumn blending the ghost stories of renowned horror writers Edgar Allan Poe and M R James with their own slice of Victorian Gothic.
The result, Still Life, promises ghost tales to chill the soul.
The tour starts at Theatr Mwldan, Cardigan, on Friday and Saturday, September 25 and 26.
Full of haunting imagery from the Victorian era, Still Life is a celebration of 19th century horror, given a deliciously dark Mappa Mundi twist.
Elements from Poe’s classic stories - the beating pulse of 'The Tell Tale Heart', the ghoulish clowning of 'Hop-Frog' and the terror of 'The Raven' and 'The Black Cat' - together with celebrated ghost writer MR James’ ghoulish fables - 'A Warning to the Curious', 'The Mezzotint' and 'Whistle and I’ll Come To You My Lad' - form the basis of a compendium of terrifying tales.
The production is directed by Lynne Seymour, a founder member of the company who has appeared in many Mappa Mundi shows over the years. This year’s cast includes Keiron Self – star of BBC sitcom My Family and also a founder member of the company.
Mappa Mundi have this time worked closely with Magicians Morgan and West during the development phase of the production to bring elements of magic and sleight of hand to the show.
One of the grislier offshoots of the development of photography during the Victorian era was that of the Memento Mori or ‘memory of the dead’. Families would have pictures of their loved ones taken after death.
Not simply as a record of a loved one who had passed but dressed, posed and arranged with other family members to seem alive. Those who had died before this process became available were often exhumed to sit for the camera.
The story is led by one such Victorian photographer, at the forefront of this ongoing science.
Director Lynne Seymour says “Horror and suspense has never gone out of fashion. As a company we have always strived to create an atmosphere within the theatre, our challenge with Still Life is to take our audience on a journey into the unknown, to use the traditional method of sleight of hand and true story telling to unnerve and give our audience a unique and memorable night at your theatre.”
Tickets for Still Life are £14 (£12) and are available to book from Theatr Mwldan’s Box Office on 01239 621200, online or via smart phone at www.mwldan.co.uk
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