Set on a dark fall night in 1835, Bedtime Stories and Other Horrifying Tales, follows 10-year-old Samuel Deyell as he goes into the darkest night, in search of his missing mother. Samuel is joined on his quest by his two best friends. In the shadows, the children encounter the darkest secrets and most horrifying facets of Millbrook and Cavan.
Keywords: Halloween, large cast, historical, schools, teenagers,
Produced by 4th Line Theatre, October 2020
Genre: Drama
Run time: 90 minutes
Acts: 1
Suitable for students 14+
Content note: Contains potentially frightening scenes, drinking and drunkenness, discussion of sexual assault, scenes of violence
Cast size: 20 actors
Male roles: 12
Female roles: 22
Trans/Non-Binary/Gender Non-Conforming Roles: 20
Musician roles; 1
"While the script offers fearfully fantastic concepts — the stuff of childhood nightmares — from puppets and clowns to rites and rituals, the scariest themes are the most realistic ones. Finlan and Blackwell explore hate, xenophobia, and bigotry in their writing... In doing so, there is a level of sophistication in their work that goes beyond typical Halloween tropes while still embracing them."
- Sarah McNeilly, Kawartha Now