The Woman in Black

A creaky door opens, then slams shut with echoing finality. Heavy footsteps clomp slowly down a cold, stone hallway. Wind rages mournfully through unshuttered windows. Somewhere a child is crying.

These are the trappings of the Gothic horror story. Subconscious twinges from forgotten corners of the collective psyche. Unsettling sounds which, when mixed with moody lighting and long shadows, reveal terrifying doorways into the storm-tossed realms of subconscious fear. In other words, exactly what you can expect from Blank Conversations’ psychologically preternatural production of “The Woman in Black,” September 27-29 at the Rio Grande Theatre.

At its core, The Woman in Black is a genuine ghost story, about a lawyer who hires an actor to tutor him in recounting to family and friends a story that has long troubled him, concerning events that transpired when he attended the funeral of an elderly recluse. The ghost in question is seen by the locals as a precursor of death. These two gentlemen will soon find that recreating the events of that dark and stormy night might not be as therapeutic as they believe it to be.

Based on Susan Hill’s acclaimed ghost story of the same name, it was originally adapted for the stage in 1987 by Stephen Mallatratt and went on to become one of the longest running plays in London’s West End. Critics were effusive about its eerie atmosphere and understated horror, calling it “the most brilliantly effective spine-chiller you will ever encounter” (The Daily Telegraph) and “a truly nerve-shredding experience” (The Daily Mail).

In taking on this storied horror project, first-time director Alyssa Gose approached it with a mind to recreating the psychological thriller at its most fundamental.

Alyssa Gose walks her actors, Knut Brekke and Brad Martinez through a scene during a rehearsal of “The Woman in Black.”

“This is the only piece of theater I’ve seen that really scared me,” she said. “As soon as I saw it I said, ‘I wanna do this show,’ because not only did it legitimately scare me, it stuck with me for weeks afterwards. There’s just something about a British ghost story that stirs the imagination.”

To help her in her quest to bring old-fashioned horror to the Las Cruces stage, Gose put together a team of young creatives whose passion for the project mirrored her own. Luckily for her, they could be found at the Rio Grande Theatre, where Blank Conversations Theatre Company makes its home.

“Scott (Haley, sound designer) and Brianna (Miranda, lighting designer) are amazing,” she enthused. “They really got the whole concept of atmosphere. I’m sure there have been productions that don’t have quite as detailed sound effects, or as many lighting cues, but if you give your audience just enough to get their brains engaged, you can bet that it will be a lot scarier than anything they actually see.”

“And our costume designer Mattie Ruminerm had such an interesting take,” she continued, “where scene by scene, she makes Kipp, played by Brad Martinez, look more and more disheveled. It’s sort of a visual manifestation of the character’s starting to come apart at the seams, both literally and metaphorically. There’s sort of an inverse thing with Knut Brekke’s character, which starts out buttoned up and closed off, but by the end he’s able to shake that off and becomes more vulnerable.”

Knut Brekke and Brad Martinez rehearse a scene from Blank Conversations Theater Company’s “The Woman in Black.”

Trappings aside, Gose is just as enthusiastic about her actors, calling them “two of the most intrinsically talented, instinctual and intuitive actors I’ve ever worked with.”

As this production of “The Woman in Black” nears its weekend debut, the question of how audiences in Las Cruces will receive such a psychologically immersive piece of entertainment arises. She thinks about it, then delivers an answer with the assurance of a seasoned professional.

“This play is a classic ghost story, and I feel like horror theater doesn’t get done very often, so it might be one of the few opportunities to see a true horror play that takes itself dead seriously,” she said. “I also want Las Cruces audiences to get the idea that there is vastly more to theatre than fun songs and lots of dancing. I want people to leave feeling unsettled, and a little bit unsure of what they may have seen. That, to me, is a true theater experience.”

“The Woman in Black” runs one weekend only, 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 27 & 28; and 2 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 29, at the Rio Grande Theatre, 211 N. Main St., Las Cruces. Tickets are $15, with $10 student rush tickets at the door.  Info: 575-541-2290 or BlankConversations.org/The-Woman-In-Black.