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From the Headless Horseman to an Appalachian Macbeth, local productions bring tales to life in time for Halloween
As Halloween approaches, some of Toledo’s stages are getting a haunting makeover. This fall, audiences can experience two classic tales of ghosts, ambition and the supernatural as The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Macbeth are staged in local theaters. From the Toledo Ballet’s eerie retelling of Ichabod Crane’s encounter with the Headless Horseman to The Village Players’ Appalachian-inspired take on Shake- speare’s tragedy, both productions of-
fer spooky twists on familiar stories.
The Toledo Ballet
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is back in Toledo, when on Oct. 23 and 24 the Toledo Ballet puts on performances at The Valentine Theatre, 410 Adams St.
Spooky Story
First published in 1820 by Washington Irving, the short story takes place in 1790, in the small town of Sleepy Hollow. Perfect for the spooky season, and set in a town famous for local superstitions, notably for the soldier lost his head during the Revolutionary War, the story about ghosts and disappearances, is a perfect way to gear up for Halloween.
Oct. 23 at 10:30am, a single showing Young People’s Performance of the wellknown production is staged, while that evening at 7pm and on Oct. 24 at 2pm, the professional ballet version of this spine-tingling show is performed.
The production will take the story and retell it through the art of ballet. Through dance, the story of Ichabod Crane, a school teacher with a passion for all things ghostly and his run in with the Headless Horseman, will be staged, produced by Live Arts Toledo and the Toledo Ballet.
Village Players
Macbeth in Appalachia
Travel back to 11th century Scotland… or not? This production of Macbeth takes place in early 1800s Appalachia. Directed by Zachary Tuttle-Robb, The Village Players, will host one showing a day from Oct. 30 to Nov. 8. All showings are at 7pm, except for Nov. 1 and 8, at 2pm.
A New Direction
Tuttle-Robb, in his directorial debut, got the idea for his interpretation of Macbeth from previous productions he acted in. “I had been listening to this audio drama. It’s called ‘Old Gods of Appalachia.’ It’s very cool, very spooky and at the same time, I had to fill in for a
friend of mine who couldn’t go on in the production of ‘Twelfth Night’ that was happening about a year and a half ago. So I was very in the Shakespeare realm,” Tuttle-Robb said.
For this production, which is near Halloween, he is excited for the audience to get into the scarier side of the play, especially with the location, as Appalachia is known for its superstitions. “There’s a lot of haunting and horror that comes with it that we’re very much hoping to dial up and lean into. So it’s going to be really spooky and I’m really excited for people to come and experience the vibe that we’re bringing with the Appalachian take,” Tuttle-Robb said.
Outside of twisting this well-known Shakespearean play to a more Americana setting, Tuttle-Robb is still excited to bring his own take on Shakespeare to Toledo. “There hasn’t been a lot of Shakespeare in Toledo as of late. My wife and I moved back to the area about two years ago now and it’s been a passion for us to try to bring some Shakespeare back to the area,” Tuttle-Robb said.
