The Black Vault
| The Black Vault | |
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| Theater | The Hideout Theatre |
| Directed by | Marc Majcher |
| Cast | |
| 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.
