SOPAC is going all out on the Saturday before Halloween.
A first-of-its-kind haunted walking tour inside and outdoors on the SOPAC campus is scheduled for 2, 3 and 4 p.m. on Oct. 28. Each tour is 60 minutes and will feature
live performances from costumed characters right out of Jersey folklore and mythology. This event is recommended for people 12 and older.
And in the evening, they are presenting a live movie experience of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The Ordinary Kids will be hosting the show, getting the audience involved and selling $3 prop bags that contain things that can be thrown at the screen during various moments of the movie. Attendees are also encouraged to come in costume.
The Ordinary Kids were formed in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, as a virtual Rocky Horror experience. They have since made the transition to a live multimedia performing troupe.
SOPAC opened in 2006 and this is their 17th season. The Halloween events are an expansion of their programming. SOPAC Executive Director Stephen Beaudoin feels it’s a “new creative risk, a new type of program put before the public.”
“This is super exciting,” Beaudoin said. “This is an expansion of our programming. We’re not only welcoming back artists people know and love — Paula Cole or Mary Chapin Carpenter or John Oates — we’re bringing in a lot of new artists. I just think it’s terrific.”
The walking tours during the day are very different for SOPAC. The spooky walking tours cost more than $10,000 to produce, according to Beaudoin. But he feels it’s “money well spent.”
Experiential and immersive artist, performer and curator, Adam Rei Siegel, is part of the committee of five advisors and industry experts that makes up SOPAC’s Creative Community Brain Trust. He was tasked with talking to the marketing and program staff to create a unique way to walk around and experience the SOPAC building. They also hired performers and a script writer.
Other experts in SOPAC’s Creative Community Brain Trust include Alissa D. Gardenhire, Dana Spialter, Liz Glazer and Mike Griot.
“In the spirit of finding new ways to connect people through creativity, that’s where the spirit of Haunted SOPAC came out,” Beaudoin said. “We want to give people new types of experiences. We want people to come out for Halloween. Whether you come out on Halloween or any other time, in a world where so much is going on that’s distressing and difficult, we want to be a place of care, where people feel safe, welcome and included. People can step away from incredible difficulties around us and connect with other people.”
The South Orange Performing Arts Center offers diverse arts entertainment in its intimate venue serving the greater South Orange/Maplewood region.
For more information, check out SOPAC at: https://www.sopacnow.org/.
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