Halloween Horror Double Bill

I love something a bit different so being invited to watch a radio play being performed whilst simultaneously broadcasted live definitely ticked that box! All the supporting staff were in costume helping with the overall spooky vibe. The Guildhall is a lovely venue although the formal stage is a little snug for a larger cast but CATS managed to fit everyone nicely.

Directed by Samantha Hughes-Johnson, this was an innovative choice and very fitting for Halloween. The two chosen stories ticked all the boxes for scary and the stage was split between the voice actors at the front and the sound effect actors behind. The first act seemed a little less polished than the second, as if people were finding their feet but still came across well.

The mikes for the voice actors had the traditional “mesh guards” on them, something which I have no idea if it is a technical requirement but it certainly helps the look and vibe of a radio play. Obviously, as there was an audience to this radio play, the costume was needed and was perfect – in keeping without being overtly “Halloween” which made it ideal.

The sound effect actors were also in appropriate dress and looked fab. In the first half, some of the sound effects struggled for volume but this seemed to have been sorted by act 2. A shout out to the vocal actors who were doing the “spooky voice” as this was great throughout. The sound in the first act seemed to be difficult for the vocal actors too, it was very quiet in parts and there were a few lags on sound effects that appeared to delay the actors.

Lighting really helped the atmosphere and the “smoke” machine was also a fantastic tool for those of us in the audience

As a general observation, voice acting in front of an audience is really hard. When your audience can only hear but not see you, the voice has to make up for what is being lost for the other senses. But when there is an audience in front of you though, it might seem “OTT” to articulate as needed. This was noticeable with some actors particularly in the first act but then the sound was not their friend at this point either. It was still a very enjoyable and compelling story in the first act but the sound improvement was noted in act 2.

This was probably a very different assignment for the actors and they definitely acquitted themselves very well. A shout out to a couple of them - Lux De Lioux for their excellent performance in the first story and Dan Ede Smith for a super spooky performance in the second.

I would also like to highlight Samara Stephens as the narrator. They did a very good job of the part but had long stretches where they had no lines or input but their attention never faltered once. Well done!

Knowing the challenges of finding the right play for the right venue, CATS are to be congratulated in doing something different and I am sure that their audiences had a supremely spooky soiree!

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