JESSICA CUDA: Halloween Haunt supervisor shows off one of the costumes being created for Wonderland’s annual Halloween extravaganza.
Regional News
August 28, 2008 08:49 PM
By: Keely Grasser
Today, they are a group of fresh-faced performers, eagerly awaiting an audition.
But come October, some of these singers and dancers will be transformed into chill-inducing players in a new horror musical that will be part of Canada’s Wonderland’s annual Halloween Haunt.
The park held auditions for the show, called Dead Awakening, this week.
A group of performers Monday perched on couches in the park’s creative department, waiting to show off their singing and dancing abilities during auditions.
Sarah Willis had just had her vocal audition.
The Pickering woman said she was nervous, since singing is something she has only newly started pursuing.
“But it (the audition) wasn’t as hard as a I thought it would be,” Ms Willis said.
“I really love performing and when I heard Wonderland had a Halloween show coming up, I wanted to try out,” said Ashley St. John, who travelled to the audition from Ajax.
“Halloween is my favourite holiday and I like to sing and dance,” added Tiana Prince of Bowmanville.
“I think Halloween is fun. You can dress up more in character,” Ms St. John said.
The performers were all singing two songs for a panel of Wonderland creative staff.
Later in the afternoon, they were to participate in a dance audition.
Wonderland was looking, obviously, for performers with singing and dancing talent.
However, manager of entertainment Kyle Blenkhorn, who judged the auditions, said there’s also something else they were seeking.
“We’re looking for a darker edge that might not work in the regular season,” he said.
Whereas Wonderland is known for fun, pop-oriented shows, Dead Awakening is a bit of a new frontier for the park.
“It’s a different show than the show we normally do. This is a bit darker,” Mr. Blenkhorn said.
The park has had Halloween shows before, but never a musical, he explained.
In the costume room, beside the room being used for auditions, creative staff were busy working on costumes Halloween hires will wear.
Lauren Gibson, the park’s assistant head of creative, said they are working on sketches for Dead Awakening.
“We have a lot of pop stars we’re getting inspiration from. Britney Spears. Amy Winehouse. Only gory and haunted.”
Mr. Blenkhorn said the show will still contain pop, but hinted that the pop star-inspiration “will fit into the show in a satirical way”.
Dead Awakening is an adult-oriented musical horror that Wonderland promises will take the audience into the deeply disturbed and twisted world of the contemporary person’s psyche.
The music-video style show will depict one woman’s maddening nightmare in a performance organizers say will leave you afraid to go to sleep.
Dead Awakening is just one of many features that make up Halloween Haunt, which will see the park overrun with a mob of diabolical clowns, bloodthirsty vampires and deranged inmates and doctors, according to Wonderland.
Creepy attractions, like mazes, are mainstays of the annual event.
In total, 500 people will be hired especially for Halloween attractions and entertainment, Mr. Blenkhorn said.
The show runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, from Oct. 3 to Nov. 1.