Hickory – Gothic Horror Comes to Town in The Woman in Black at the Hickory Community Theatre
Arthur Kipps, a young solicitor, is sent to the desolate Eel Marsh House to settle an estate. However, his routine assignment quickly spirals into a harrowing encounter with a malevolent spirit, the elusive and vengeful Woman in Black. As he recounts his terrifying experiences with the help of an Actor, the audience is drawn deeper into a story that blurs the lines between reality and nightmare.
In this chilling adaptation of Susan Hill’s classic ghost story, THE WOMAN IN BLACK transports audiences to a time when the veil between the living and the dead seems thinnest. As the nights grow long and shadows stretch further, the Victorian tradition of telling ghost stories around the fire comes alive on stage. 
The role of Kipps in this production is played by Trenton Stiles, a Morganton native making his Hickory Community Theatre debut. Stiles is currently studying Theatre at Catawba Valley Community College and has appeared onstage there in Alice, playing multiple roles including the Mad Hatter, Caterpillar, the Minstrel, and Alice. He is active in his college drama program and works locally as a barista at Target/Starbucks. When asked what intrigued him about this production, he shared, “The small cast as well as the reliance on the audience’s and actor’s imaginations really intrigued me and seemed like a fun challenge.” He adds that he enjoys “the layers of portraying a character through the lens of another character.”
Performances of The Woman in Black are October 17 through November 1. Tickets are $18 for adults and $12 for students/youth 18 & under, available at hickorytheatre.org or 828-328-2283. The show is suitable for ages 13 and up.
Hickory Community Theatre is a Funded Affiliate of Arts Culture Catawba and receives sustaining support from the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
The 77th season is supported by The City of Hickory, A Cleaner World, Shurtape Technologies, Acuna & Acuna Dentistry and BelleAge.
Photo Cutline: Trenton Stiles plays Arthur Kipps in The Woman in Black at the Hickory Community Theatre. Tickets and information are available at hickorytheatre.org or by calling 828-328-2283. Photo by Eric Seale.
