The old Sacred Heart hospital at 12th and Gonzalez in East Hill enjoys a reputation for being haunted. Visitors claim to have been tapped on the shoulder in the hallway leading to what used to be the hospital’s chapel by the spirit of a nun. Others have heard music and claim to have seen the ghosts of both children and adults on the upper floors.
This year, First City Shakespeare and the Southeastern Teen Shakespeare Company present a Halloween performance event in this historical landmark. But don’t expect a haunted house with jump scares. This is part historical tour and part live performance.
“Imagine going to the theatre to see a Halloween cabaret with music, scenes from classic horror flicks, and Edgar Allan Poe and Grimm’s Fairy Tales brought to life,†said director Michelle Hancock, “only instead of sitting in front of a stage, you tour the hospital and view each piece in different locations of varying creepiness. We are not manufacturing the creepiness. It’s already there.â€
Guests — in groups of ten — are taken on the tour from the back parking lot on the hour beginning at 7:00pm. Early shows are family friendly, and later performances include some material not appropriate for children. Ticket prices are $5 through age 12 and $20 for ages thirteen and up. The show will run for two weekends through Halloween night.
The Southeastern Teen Shakespeare Company is a501(c)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to providing teens in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties with instruction and performance opportunities that lead to their significant growth as artists, as community members, and as human beings.
Event: Halloween Horror Hospital
Dates: October 21, 22, 28, 29, 30, 31
Time: Shows on the hour beginning at 7:00pm
Venue: Tower East, 1010 N. 12th Avenue
Tickets: setsco.org
Email: info@setsco.org