The Woman in Black
by Susan Hill

Auditions - March 21, 22,23
Show Dates - May 12, 14 and 19, 20, 21

Eel Marsh House stands tall, gaunt and isolated, surveying the endless flat saltmarshes beyond the Nine Lives Causeway, somewhere on England's bleak East Coast. Here Mrs Alice Drablow lived - and died - alone. Young Arthur Kipps, a junior solicitor, is ordered by his firm's senior partner to travel up from London to attend her funeral and then sort out all her papers. His task is a lonely one, and at first Kipps is quite unaware of the tragic secrets which lie behind the house's shuttered windows. He only has a terrible sense of unease. And then, he glimpses a young woman with a wasted face, dressed all in black, at the back of the church during Mrs Drablow's funeral, and later, in the graveyard to one side of Eel Marsh House. Who is she? Why is she there? He asks questions, but the locals not only cannot or will not give him answers - they refuse to talk about the woman in black, or even to acknowledge her existence, at all. So, Arthur Kipps has to wait until he sees her again, and she slowly reveals her identity to him - and her terrible purpose.

The Woman In Black treads in the footsteps of the classic ghost story, following the tradition of Charles Dickens and M.R James, of Henry James and Edith Wharton. It is not a horror story or a tale of terror, yet the events build up to a horrifying climax and instil a sense of horror. It relies on atmosphere, a vivid sense of place, on hints and glimpses and suggestions, on what is shadowy, heard and sometimes only half-seen, to chill the reader's blood to the marrow and make reading the book alone at night inadvisable for the faint-hearted.




CAST BIO'S

Dean Jenks – The Actor
Dean Jenks is a 2nd year substitute teacher and wields a Black Belt in Karate.  Previously seen in "The Nerd" along side Bill Cleveland, and "The Rainmaker", Jenks enjoys hunting and fishing with his son Tristen, and spending quality time with his daughter Jessica.  Jenks appears before us in the role of "The Actor".

Bill Cleveland – Arthur Kipps
Fourth year RCT veteran Bill Cleveland appears in the role of "Arthur Kipps" in the current production of "The Woman in Black".  Cleveland is the father of UNC Wilmington student Jillian and husband to Peggy Cleveland.  A dentist of 24 years, Cleveland enjoys photography, kayaking, woodworking and is currently in his 16th year with the Hamlet Rotary Club.  Bill Cleveland was last seen in the RCT production of "The Nerd". 

Vivian Ariail – The Woman
Appearing in her first performance, Vivian is a rising senior at Richmond Senior High School.  She is the daughter of Pridie and David Ariail.  She currently works at Dairy Queen in Rockingham.  In her free time she enjoys playing tennis and is the Number 1 player on the Raider Tennis team.  This summer she plans to attend Governor’s School.

SHOW SYNOPSIS
Adapted from the novel by Susan Hill, “The Woman in Black” treads in the footsteps of the classic ghost story, following the tradition of Charles Dickens and M.R James, of Henry James and Edith Wharton. It is not a horror story or a tale of terror, yet the events build up to a horrifying climax and instills a sense of horror. It relies on atmosphere, a vivid sense of place, on hints and glimpses and suggestions, on what is shadowy, heard and sometimes only half-seen.