The Black Vault

The Black Vault
Theater	The Hideout Theatre
Directed by	Marc Majcher
Cast	Andreas Fabis Brad Hawkins Clay Towery Emily Breedlove Jay Michael Jayme Ramsay Jessica Arjet Justin Davis Marc Majcher Paul Normandin Peter Rogers Roy Janik Ryan Hill
Run	Sep/Oct 2012

"The Black Vault" was an improvised longform show, each show consisting of three individual stories linked by a framing narrative, performed in the style of the novels and stories of H.P. Lovecraft.

Format

Each show was divided into three stories. A predetermined group of characters would begin on stage, establishing a framing sequence. Eventually, one of the characters would say a phrase which might constitute the title of a Lovecraftian story, and the title was taken up by one of the show's two predetermined main characters. That character would then narrate a story, stepping into and out of the scene as desired. At the conclusion of the story, the framing sequence would resume, until a second title is announced, at which case the second narrator would begin his or her story. After that, the framing sequence resumed for a final time, at which point the frame itself became the third story and one (non-predetermined) character from the frame became the final narrator.

Style

The Black Vault stories were generally of three main styles:

• Weird horror -- Tales of unnatural doings moored in such horror tropes as reanimation of the dead, infestation, mind control, or madness.
• Dreamscape -- Following the style of Lovecraft's "Dream Cycle," these stories focused on the inner life of the dreaming mind, usually with a fantasy or science fiction bent.
• Cosmic horror -- As in the stories in Lovecraft's "Cthulhu Mythos," these stories focused on unknowable and largely unseen forces from beyond the stars, represented on Earth by mysterious cults and strange ancient artifacts.