Blog Posts

Vintage Horror Meets Vintage Theatre: Liverpool and Todmorden Theatres Over 100 Years Old To Host The Haunting of Blaine Manor

8/29/2019

The autumn season is upon us, the nights are drawing in, the leaves are set to fall from the trees, ghosts and demons are set to reclaim the night...and horror is set to return.

After its six week break, the award winning The Haunting of Blaine Manor enters the second half of its 2019 tour, taking in some of the most beautiful and haunted theatres in the North of England. The most talked about haunter since The Woman in Black has two dates in September, and four in October to round out the tour. Check the stunning reviews.

REVIEWS: www.talesfromparadiseheights.com/reviews.html

September finds us in two wonderfully vintage venues, The Epstein Theatre in Liverpool and The Hippodrome in Todmorden are the next stops on the tour. Both venues are over 100 years old and both are beautiful theatres perfect for a ghost story told on stage. Take your seats and feel the presence of all those that have taken that seat before you down the decades, feel their presence join you as they look upon our tale through your eyes...perhaps you'll get to see a little more than the production? Horror is a Place.

If the kids are 12 or above? Take them along. Looking for a good staff night out? This is it. So come, travel back in time to 1953 and enjoy this firecracker of a ghostly thriller, these two venues more than suit the production, but book your tickets fast, both venues are filling up now.

THE EPSTEIN THEATRE, Liverpool, Friday 6th September

This gorgeous venue was built in 1911 and has a spectacularly haunted past. Going through a number of name changes and more than a few hauntings before being named after The Beatles famous manager. Much more on the hauntings within this building at the link:

www.talesfromparadiseheights.com/blog/blaine-manor-the-devil-rides-out-and-a-nolan-sister-ghosts-and-the-epstein-theatre-liverpool

So if you're looking for an extra thrill to your viewing experience of this haunting production, why not the thrill of a haunted theatre?

THE HIPPODROME, Todmorden, Saturday 7th September

On the main Halifax Road in the east of Calderdale, the almost 500 seater Hippodrome was built in 1908. Before long silent films were being shown before the main theatre performance. For 111 years The Hippodrome has been an integral part of the community and all in the hands of diligent volunteers for over half its lifetime. There is more on this beautiful theatre's history at this link.

www.todhip.org/history-of-the-hippodrome

If you live in or anywhere near the Calderdale Valley then this is the perfect venue to catch the show in, dripping in atmosphere.

This show is really kicking up a storm, packing out houses, getting fabulous reviews and really thrilling audiences. A tribute to the Hammer Horror films of the 50s and 60s, the ghost stories of M R James, with flavours of Edgar Allen Poe and H P Lovecraft yet it has a voice all its own. The horror is real and it's a ride with chills, thrills, a few laughs, intrigue and the kind of twists that Alfred Hitchcock and M Night Shymalan would kill for. Just the one night in each venue so don't regret it when your friends tell you what a show it was, the reviews tell their story...book your tickets now!

Booking Links:

The Epstein Theatre, Friday 6th September
www.epsteinliverpool.co.uk/events/the-haunting-of-blaine-manor/

The Hippodrome, Todmorden, Saturday 7th September
www.ticketsource.co.uk/todhip/the-haunting-of-blaine-manor/2019-09-07/19:30/t-ngovzm

Other Venues:
https://www.talesfromparadiseheights.com/blog/the-haunting-of-blaine-manor-tour-2019-the-venues

Horror is a Place

Joe x

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Blaine Manor, The Devil Rides Out and - A Nolan Sister; Ghosts and The Epstein Theatre, Liverpool

8/14/2019

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The Haunting of Blaine Manor's current tour is blazing a trail of horror right across the north and, thrilling audiences so much that many audience members are coming to see the show again in another venue on the tour - this time bringing their friends so they can watch their reactions to the chills, shocks and twists that the story produces. Quite a few of those coming again have chosen the beautiful Epstein Theatre in Liverpool, a theatre over 100 years old and a theatre with a particularly haunted history of its own.

Built in 1911 and originally designed as a music hall, the building was regularly used by theatre and drama groups and so eventually the title of the building was changed from music hall to theatre ran by the Crane brothers. However tragedy struck when in the mid 1920s one of the brothers who suffered badly from depression took his own life by hanging himself in the theatre, from the upper circle. Soon there were reports of a ghostly well dressed man whose head flops onto his left shoulder, being seen in the dark corridors backstage. Those that sighted him would fall foul of a curse that would lead to misfortune, illness or death. One actor, who reportedly saw the reflection of the man in her dressing room mirror died herself a few days later. Her ghost now also apparently haunts the building, with a number of people seeing 'a tall, slim, mournful woman wandering the stage'.

All entirely reassuring for us as a cast who will be using the dressing rooms, looking into mirrors, using dark backstage corridors...gulp.

In 1967 Liverpool Corporation bought the at risk building from the Cranes family. After a £7,000 refurbishment the theatre embraced Liverpool's longtime maritime connections and renamed the theatre The Neptune, named after the Roman god of the seas.

Over the coming years there were numerous sightings of eerie figures in the wings, backstage and around the lighting box but the most interesting and alarming episode was still ahead of The Neptune Theatre. In February 1993 a musical version of Dennis Wheatley's black magic thriller The Devil Rides Out was produced there, and all hell broke loose...

The essential plot is of a satanist wanting to summon the Devil himself from hell, would probably be enough to rouse any ghost there, but this productions seemed cursed from the start. I'm going to skim over the incidents that occurred there, and a fuller description of what occurred is at the link at the foot of this article. Of course any production about ghosts and demons coming to a haunted theatre might help the publicity of the show and sell extra tickets...but the show was already sold out - so none of what occurred had anything to do with attracting publicity.

Part of the story involves a pentagram. Three theatre staff were struggling to get it right on the stage floor, chalking and then painting it down, eventually they got it done - however they had apparently made a catastrophic error that would be discovered later. Almost immediately after this error strange things started to occur.

One of the ushers was a practising white witch, she came in the following day and was horrified to find they had drawn the pentagram upside down and she wanted to know who had cast it that way and why, she was deeply disturbed by it. She said the pentagram needed scrubbing from the stage, cleansing with salt water and repainting as it should be - the right way up. The director refused saying it was too late to do that.

On opening night the technician in the sound box started hearing strange sounds on the stage comms system, and from the lighting box a light appeared to be above the stage with no one being able to identify where the source was coming from. A long corridor under the stage was freezing cold, despite having the heating on - one actress felt so uneasy in her dressing room that she got changed in the backstage toilet.

Over the coming performances lights and tech equipment began to develop a life of its own, lights coming on when they shouldn't, sounds playing when they shouldn't and much louder than they should have. There were random slamming fire and stage doors, odd winds and breezes, cast and crew complained of not sleeping well and one actor in the show awoke one morning to find dark bruises around her throat.

The following is taken directly from the article published by the technician that worked on the production:

'This prompted paranormal investigator, Mark Glover, to turn up the next day. He spent most of the afternoon in the theatre taking photos, measurements and making audio recordings at various locations.  As well as interviewing the cast and some of the crew, Mark made a few Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP) recordings. On one of his tapes he picked up a number of anomalous voices that weren’t present at the time of the recording – and in one of his photographs, featuring the pentagram on stage, he captured a strange eerie mist hovering just above the circle that he swore was not present when he took the picture.

Analesha, with the aid of the technicians, performed her ‘purification’ ritual on the pentagram again, and things began to settle down in the theatre. Each night before performances, she secretly blessed the circle with salt water. Save for the odd door slamming, the sinister atmosphere in the theatre died down.  On the last night Analesha didn’t get a chance to ‘bless’ the circle.  As she fretted in the aisles, the unknowing cast went on stage for the final performance …

As soon as we were into the full swing of the show, Jackie started to curse and swear as she once again lost control of the lighting desk. Lights began turning themselves on and off of their own accord. Seconds later, Collette the Stage Manager completely freaked out, shouting down the comms that she had just been pulled into the wings backstage by something invisible that had grabbed her tee-shirt. Then my sound desk went crazy, and sounds began to rise sharply in volume even though I was nowhere near the controls.

While all this was occurring, Brett and other actors on stage spied a sinister third figure in the lighting box that just fizzled out right in front of their eyes. They were so freaked out that they began missing lines. Then, during the final scene, the smoke machine went off during the finale, flooding the stage with dense fog. Technicians had to drag it off stage as they couldn’t stop it. Again, the device had operated whilst unplugged and being stone cold.

At the end of the final performance the actors and non-essential theatre staff went off to the end-of-show party, leaving a handful of technicians in the theatre to tidy up and strip down the set and equipment. The strip-down was the fastest I have ever experienced as we all wanted to get the hell out of there as fast as we could. Finally, we ripped up the tape that marked the pentagram and didn’t feel happy until we had repainted the stage to remove all trace of it completely.'

Here is the full article:
planetpreternatural.wordpress.com/tag/pentagram/?fbclid=IwAR32HP0ZTBkdQUsGQn-fn_P3f89-2m_U8gJceqNhcVancNDu3Pd_vKlb4Mw

So, did the pentagram cause all of this? Did this happen at all or was it all mass hysteria for a tired and stressed cast and crew? Who knows, but perhaps we might find out - the plot of The Haunting of Blaine Manor involves a pentagram! The good thing? You never see it, so there's no danger of it being upside down.  So who knows what we will encounter on our visit to The Haunted Epstein with our haunted production?

in 2011 the theatre was renamed The Epstein, in honour of The Beatles manager, Brian Epstein.

We will see you there on Friday the 6th of September, a haunted date for your diary. Whatever happens we can guarantee you one hell of a show, check the reviews and come join us, but book quickly as tickets are disappearing faster than ghosts at an exorcist's convention.

Reviews:
www.talesfromparadiseheights.com/reviews.html

Book your tickets here:
www.epsteinliverpool.co.uk/events/the-haunting-of-blaine-manor/

Horror is a Place...

Jx

It's a beautiful theatre, check the images below:

Other venues and ticket links:
www.talesfromparadiseheights.com/blog/the-haunting-of-blaine-manor-tour-2019-the-venues

Check the Trailer

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The Ghost Train is Coming to Town...Follow The Tour

6/14/2019

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Catch the show in one of these beautiful venues...at least two of them are said to be haunted!

We've come a long way. Tonight, on the eve of a fabulous tour that awaits us, I'm reflecting on just how far we have come. Starting out at the the lovely Hope Mill Theatre three years ago, we've played the magical Kings Arms in Salford with three runs over the years - working so well under that famous dome, we played the London Horror Festival (more on that shortly) and sold the venue out two weeks before we got there. We've played the wonderfully eccentric Hermon Chapel Arts Centre in Oswestry (a converted chapel that every performer should play in), we've set new audience house records at The Buxton Fringe Festival, and we sold out Bury Met two weeks before we got there for a fabulous Halloween night. In between the ghost train has visited so many gorgeous and character packed venues from Hebden Bridge Little Theatre to The Civic in Oswaldtwistle.

The reviews have been wonderful, the audiences magnificent - some having seen the production as many as five times and bringing new friends each time so that they can watch them gasp at the horrors, twists and turns the plot spins out before them. I remember the four white witches that came to watch the show at The Carlton in Preston. How they chatted so enthusiastically to me afterwards, and how impressed they were at the witchcraft sections of the plot that I had written - that really was a great shot in the arm for me ladies, so thank you to The Witches of Preston.

REVIEWS:  www.talesfromparadiseheights.com/reviews.html

Then there was that London Horror Festival performance. We were playing The Old Red Lion in Islington, where Oscar Wilde once sat scribbling. The theatre is on the upstairs floor of the building. During the production there was an incredible noise coming from upstairs. The sounds of barrels rolling across the floor, footsteps, the sound of metal being dragged across the floor - all the sounds of a brewery delivering a dray on a wet Saturday afternoon...only...only there hadn't been a delivery.

I mentioned to Kate - who was running the pub and the festival - that the delivery had been a bit loud, she looked at me quizzically - 'I thought it was your sound effects?' I shook my head, 'Nope'. She looked worried. 'Oh God...he's back.' It turns out the pub has a ghost, and that upstairs is a flat - where the owner was away on holiday, there was no one upstairs, it seems the play may have woken something. As we were leaving Kate was getting on the phone to her boyfriend, telling him to come down to help her lock up - there was no way she was going to lock up on her own! Seriously though, what the hell was going on upstairs while we were onstage?

There are more tales to tell of our travels so far and I'll tell some of them over the next few weeks. I'll be blogging about each venue and our experiences there. This tour is so special to us, 13 wonderful houses, all beautiful theatres. This is all a dream come true for me, it's so lovely to have a show that brings out so many people and so many reactions from those people. The show is blessed with a magnificent cast (Jo Haydock, Peter Slater, Ed Barry, Andrew Yates, Phil Dennison) and a brilliant crew (Justin Wetherill, Darren McGinn, Dave Heald) and we're quite the family now. It's all hard work but doesn't feel like it. Yep, I'm living the dream.

So we launch the tour tomorrow from The Playhouse, Halifax.  A converted church, this became a 260 seat theatre in 1949. The theatre is run on the blood, sweat and tears of volunteers and all power to their elbows, if you are in the area you really ought to check out this theatre, it's beautiful. I don't have a date that this grade II listed building was built, maybe someone out there knows? Regardless, a gorgeous space.

Some come join us as we launch the tour tomorrow, bring a friend to hold on to and keep telling yourself;

'It's only a play...it's only a play.'

Book your tickets at the following link:
www.halifaxplayhouse.org.uk/2019_productions/prod_blaine.html

More on the play here:
www.talesfromparadiseheights.com/the-haunting-of-blaine-manor.html

More on those venues here:
www.talesfromparadiseheights.com/blog/the-haunting-of-blaine-manor-tour-2019-the-venues

So come join us, come see why so many see this as Agatha Christie meets The Haunting, and why we are being called the new The Woman in Black...this is a night and a tale you will never forget.

Horror is a Place.

Joe x

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The Haunting of Blaine Manor Tour 2019: The Venues

4/5/2019

Well we're back, and this year's tour is choc full of beautiful theatres. Those that have seen the play will know how beautiful and grand it looks on stage, and all the venues we have played thus far have their own character and beauty that blended or beautifully juxtaposed the aesthetic for the audience.

Having built such a wave of audience popularity and critical acclaim for the play we're now moving on with the production to mainstream theatres, and wow, we've got some beauty's on the tour here. Check them out below and hope to see you out on the tour.

The Playhouse, Halifax, Saturday 15th June

A converted church, this became a 260 seat theatre in 1949. I don't have a date that this grade II listed building was built, maybe someone out there knows? Regardless, a gorgeous space. In September 1927, two hundred and ten people, who were interested in the arts, were invited to a meeting in The White Swan. By October the Constitution was passed and the Halifax Thespians was formed, after playing several different premises over the years they purchased the church in 1954. More details on their history on the website. We will see you at this gorgeous volunteer run theatre on the 15th of June.

Ticket Link: www.halifaxplayhouse.org.uk/2019_productions/prod_blaine.html

The Waterside, Sale, Friday 21st June

The Waterside occupies the site of the old Sale Civic Theatre as well as part of the former Trafford Council Town Hall. After 10 years of work, the Waterside was able to launch its first artistic programme in November 2004. A beautiful 346 seat theatre, see you here on the 21st June.

Ticket Link: watersidearts.org/whats-on/2520-the-haunting-of-blaine-manor/

The Garrick Theatre, Stockport, Friday 5th July

The 151 seater Stockport Garrick Theatre was founded on 24th of October, 1901, by engineer Edwin Heys and his fellow actors: fugitives from the disbanded dramatic society of Stockport Unitarian Church. Meeting in what was then The Church Coffee Tavern on St Petersgate, Heys and his friends resolved to found a new society ‘to perform the best plays by the most capable amateur actors and with the finest scenic effects’. The Garrick Theatre has a particular love of Shakespeare, recently being involved with the RSC's Open Stages project. Sir Ian McKellen is an honorary member. See you here on the 5th July.

Ticket Link:
www.ticketweb.uk/event/the-haunting-of-blaine-manor-stockport-garrick-theatre-tickets/9306125

The Carriageworks, Leeds, Saturday 6th July

Built in 2005, this 349 seat theatre is part of the redevelopment of the Grade II listed Electric Press printing works, The Carriageworks provides a stunning backdrop with a sympathetic meeting of old and new architecture. See you here on Saturday 6th July.

Ticket Link: www.carriageworkstheatre.co.uk/whats-on/ballet/the-haunting-of-blaine-manor/4582

Cast, Doncaster, Friday 12th & Saturday 13th July

Cast, Doncaster. Opened in September 2013. The theatre contains two auditoria, the 620 seat main house and the 200 seat adaptable format Studio - both have seats on two levels. We're playing the 200 seater Second Space for 2 nights, see you here 12th & 13th July.

Ticket Link: www.castindoncaster.com/whats-on/the-haunting-of-blaine-manor/

Batley Town Hall, Batley, Saturday 20th July

The town hall opened in 1853 and is situated in the centre of Batley overlooking the town's Market Square. The concert hall/Theatre can seat 288 people, recently benefiting from new lighting, sound system and a refurbished stage area. See you here on the 20th July.

Ticket Link:
tickets.kirklees.gov.uk/en-GB/shows/the%20haunting%20of%20blaine%20manor/events

The Epstein, Liverpool, Friday 6th September

Since 1913 the Hanover Street venue formally known as Cranes Music Hall, Cranes Theatre and The Neptune Theatre has provided a wide range of live entertainment for over 100 years. This is a 380 capacity grade II listed theatre, and as you can clearly see, very grand. Re-named in memory of Liverpool’s most successful music entrepreneur and Beatles manager Brian Epstein, whose portrait hangs pertinently in Brian's Bar. Brian was renowned for his contributions to the city’s cultural and music scene. See you here on the 6th September.

Ticket Link: www.epsteinliverpool.co.uk/events/the-haunting-of-blaine-manor/

The Hippodrome, Todmorden, Saturday 7th September

On the main Halifax Road in the east of Calderdale, the almost 500 seater Hippodrome was built in 1908. Before long silent films were being shown before the main theatre performance. For 111 years The Hippodrome has been an integral part of the community and all in the hands of diligent volunteers for over half its lifetime. There is more on this beautiful theatre's history at this link.

www.todhip.org/history-of-the-hippodrome

Ticket link:
www.ticketsource.co.uk/todhip/the-haunting-of-blaine-manor/2019-09-07/19:30/t-ngovzm

The Albert Hall, Bolton, Friday 11th October

This 670 seat theatre is set within Bolton’s famous Town Hall right at the very heart and this particular gig has a place in my heart. The original Albert Hall served as the heart of the Town’s cultural life for over 100 years, hosting hundreds of concerts, shows, bazaars, exhibitions, and played host to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a man who gets his own mention in The Haunting of Blaine Manor. This is also my home town, so it's great to be coming to such a historic building. I'm really proud to be playing the best venue in my home town. Find us here on Friday 11th October.

Ticket Link:
www.alberthalls-bolton.co.uk/events/event/40/the-haunting-of-blaine-manor

The Rosehill Theatre, Whitehaven, Friday 18th October

Housed in another grade II listed building, this 208 seat (88 upstairs, 120 down) was founded by Hungarian Sir Nicholas Sekers in 1959, Rosehill presented many great names from the world of theatre and music including Peggy Ashcroft, Sir John Gielgud, Jacqueline Du Pré, John Betjeman, Benjamin Britten, Joyce Grenfell, Johnny Dankworth, Cleo Laine, David Bowie and Lindsay Kemp. The theatre, which has retained the atmosphere that was acclaimed on its opening in 1959 as a "rose-red silk lined jewel box" was designed by acclaimed stage, costume and film designer, Oliver Messel.

You will find us here on Friday 18th October, ticket link:

www.rosehilltheatre.co.uk/whats-on/theatre/the-haunting-of-blaine-manor

Burnley Mechanics, Burnley, Friday 25th October

The Mechanics' Institute was built 1854–55 to a design by Todmorden architect James Green. Sir Charles Towneley opened the institute in 1855.It was a club for 'reading and discussion by an 'earnest few'. A magnificent grade two listed venue refitted and reopened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth in 1986 to present the very best in entertainment, special events and activities. Since that time the Mechanics have hosted some of the world’s finest talent from all realms of the performing arts including The Osmonds, Toploader, Patty Smith, Marillion, Buddy Guy, G4, Eddie Izzard and John Bishop. You'll find us here on Friday October 25th.

Ticket Link: burnleymechanics.ticketsolve.com/shows/873602650

Whitby Pavilion, Whitby, Thursday 31st October
HALLOWEEN

The Halloween performance of The Haunting of Blaine Manor is always a special one for obvious reasons. This year we are in Whitby, in the shadow of Dracula's Castle right on the North Sea coastline...I'd book your tickets well in advance because tickets are already being snatched up by those having attending the annual Halloween Goth Weekend there. The 360 seat Pavilion Theatre was built in the 1870s in West Cliff and has its own ghost, from which we may have a visit from on Halloween. So come join us if you dare, but book ahead...hell, make it a weekend in Whitby, you're only here once!

Ticket Link: www.whitbypavilion.co.uk

At the time of writing we are still seeking further venues and rolling the tour over into next year, if you are a programmer please do get in touch, contact details are in the menu above.

Check out the reviews and see why people are returning to see this show again and again, each time bringing new friends. Described as The New The Woman in Black and Agatha Christie meets The Haunting - this show is not to be missed. Catch us this year at one of these beautiful theatres.

REVIEWS: www.talesfromparadiseheights.com/reviews.html

Horror is a place...

Joe x

The Watcher now on Amazon Prime UK and The Return of Frank Morgan

1/4/2019

We're only four days into the New Year and it's busy, busy, busy here at Paradise Heights Towers, and the good news keeps on coming in!

I'm Frank Morgan: RewiRED finished out 2018 by getting nominated for The Salford Star Best Drama of 2018 Award, fantastic news ahead of its return next month when it premiers at The Met in Bury on the 9th Feb. Thanks to Stephen Kingston and Ian Leslie of The Salford Star for the nomination, they have long been supporters of the Salford born Tales from Paradise Heights.

After yesterday's announcement of The Watcher now being available on Amazon Prime in America, I can now announce that the film is also available on Amazon Prime UK. Fans of Frank Morgan will find him emerging from the shadows in this film...and that's great ahead of his return to the stage next month and his first appearance at The Met in Bury - further details below.

Click this link and it takes you to the film on Amazon Prime UK.

AMAZON PRIME UK LINK:  amzn.eu/d/2cQYtaK

Please leave a review when you've watched it and share the link further if you can - reviews really help lay the foundations for future projects in the Tales from Paradise Heights pipeline. Once again BIG THANKS to Mark Reid of Renderyard for his work getting the film out there, the film will be rolled out on over 70 VOD streaming services as throughout this year, I'll keep you up to date as each new territory goes live with the film.

I'm Frank Morgan: RewiRED returns next month to The Met in Bury on the 9th of February at 7.30pm further details and booking here:

themet.org.uk/event/frank-morgan/

You can find more information on the play about the shark, gambler and iconic bad guy of Paradise Heights at this link.

www.talesfromparadiseheights.com/im-frank-morgan-rewired.html

There's an exclusive to The Met new trailer for the play below, please share where you can and hope to see you there...

Much love, Joe x

The Watcher: A Tale from Paradise Heights...Available on American Amazon Prime and Rolling Out To Over 70 World Wide VOD Services

1/3/2019

2019 has got off to a flying start with The Watcher: A Tale from Paradise Heights now available on American Amazon Prime, fantastic news for this classic northern England horror short. As the year progresses the film will become available on over 70 VOD (Video On Demand) streaming services world wide.

This is down to the tireless efforts of Mark Reid of Renderyard who has been championing the film, right down to doing the subtitles for each streaming service.

Ben Mottershead's excellent documentary on the making of the film is at the link below, well worth a watch as it gives an insight into how all the separate Tales from Paradise Heights are connected.

vimeo.com/32017631

So if you have any American friends give the link below a share and have them check out one of the many Tales from Paradise Heights.

Amazon Prime Link: a.co/d/aAPjleu

Reviews:

htp://o/d/aAPjleu

There's much more on The Watcher on the film's page here:

www.talesfromparadiseheights.com/the-watcher.html

There will be further updates as the film becomes available in other territories...once again, huge thanks to Mark Reid of Renderyard.

Happy New Year...

Joe x

Rushing Headlong Down The Highway of 2019...

1/2/2019

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2018 was my most creative and successful year, starting the year with an award win and ending it with an award nomination. I also co-produced and co-directed the first animated Tale from Paradise Heights (above) and the film will be entering film festivals this year. On top of this The Haunting of Blaine Manor played Buxton Festival and set new house records in terms of audience numbers at the Underground Venues, and then there was the Sold Out winter tour of the play - totally independently produced without any funding and a tremendous success every where we went.

I love all my collaborators, their input is invaluable, their talent incalculable, their friendships so precious and their support simply monumental - none of this is achieved without them, all of this is down to them throwing themselves into the mix and giving their all. Jo Haydock, Peter Slater, Andrew Yates, Phil Dennison, Ed Barry, Daniel Thackeray, Darren McGinn, Justin Wetherill, Darren Barker (set builder for I'm Frank Morgan: RewiRED) - I love you all so much and there's much more to come. Of course I also want to say a huge thank you to the management and staff of all the venues, the reviewers and the fabulous audiences we met along the way.

Then there was the first Broken Banshee Cabaret that came out of Frank Morgan's club, The Ace of Spades (The Kings Arms), a small and intimate affair as the first one was bound to be. But this will grow and the talents we had that night were amazing including, Andrew Yates, Jo Malone, Zoe Iqbal, Johnny Ryall and The Hurtful Taunts, Johnny Giro (Peter Slater) Anne Addiction (Moni Wilkes), Harlow Kitty (Clare Bagnall) Ian Curley, Phil Dennison, special thanks to Lisa Connor of the fabulously Bohemian Boozer - The Kings Arms. There will be four Broken Banshee Cabarets a year so watch this space - the next one is at Easter. An extra special thanks to the incredibly talented photographers that I've been lucky to have get involved in all of this - Karen Mcbride, Shay Rowan and Darren McGinn, you've all created some truly iconic imagery.

2018. What a great year.

So, 2019 - last year was the bench mark. This year I intend to go beyond that, no biggie, and the collaborations I have and will make further along the way will make that happen. Age is just a number - the drive, the urge, the obsessions and the will to do will make it happen.

So with 2018 fast disappearing in the rear view mirror, here's to rushing headlong down the highway of a FAB 2019, starting with the return of that ferocious Shark next month. See the next update for details...Happy New Year x

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Christmas in Paradise Heights Part 2: The Broken Banshee Cabaret

11/29/2018

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There's a first coming to Salford. A Tales from Paradise Heights Double Whammy - no - TRIPLE WHAMMY! It's something of a 'meta' event, your chance to attend a Cabaret bursting with ferocious northern talent from Manchester to Bradford and beyond. A cabaret hosted by a fictional character in his fictional club, from his fictional universe but packed with real acts. Then 24 hours later see the fall of that fictional character in a play set in the same club.

That club? The Ace of Spades, Paradise Heights.

The character? The Paradise Heights notorious gangster, loan shark, gambler and club owner Frank Morgan. But first, more on that cabaret...

What if you could attend a cabaret in Frank Morgan's club, The Ace of Spades? This will be a cabaret like no other...

THE BROKEN BANSHEE CABARET

Paradise Heights most infamous villain, Frank Morgan, is bringing a unique night to The Kings Arms, Salford, all set in his club The Ace of Spades - The Broken Banshee Cabaret will be a night of live music, burlesque, comedy, film, spoken word and all with a Dark Christmas edge...shot through with that unique Tales from Paradise Heights flavour. It's a night you're not going to want to miss, and it's going to sell out fast.

Live Music from The Hurtful Taunts, Comedy from Johnny Giro, Burlesque from Anne Addiction & Harlow Kitty, spoken word from Ian Curley, Joe O'Byrne, sketches from a whole host of talent from across the region including Jo Malone & Zoe Iqbal (Smash & Grab), Andrew Yates and Phil Dennison. A night of live music, comedy, film, burlesque, drama, tragedy, murder, mayhem and marmite.

So there's The Broken Banshee Cabaret on the 14th, the play I'm Frank Morgan: RewiRED on the 15th (more on that at the following link here www.talesfromparadiseheights.com/blog/christmas-in-paradise-heights-part-1-the-second-coming-of-frank-morgan ) but what's the third part of The Paradise Heights Triple Whammy? Tales from Paradise Heights has taken a bold step into the world of animation. The first animated tale, the first of what will be a series of Animated Tales from Paradise Heights. The Night Death Put Me Down will have it's Salford/Manchester preview at The Broken Banshee Cabaret, it's a six minute short that packs a punch as Death takes a stroll through Paradise Heights.

Fans of the series will find more than a few nods to characters and locations from the series. It's an exciting calling card for tales to come.

Tales from Paradise Heights have produced an eclectic range of characters in film and theatre over the years, all from powerful and poignant connected tales for our times. All of these characters being given flesh and blood by the talents of incredibly skilled actors all backed up by some of the most talented crews in the North. They have all helped the fictional community of Paradise Heights become much more real...well this is a further step into reality as the series most iconic villain - Frank Morgan - invites you to a twisted cabaret for Christmas in his club The Ace of Spades, all under the roof of the hub for creative talent that is The Kings Arms, a Legendary Bohemian Boozer ran by the Dynamo that is Lisa Connor.

And all this for a tenner? Yep, a Christmas Gift from Frank and The Ace of Spades, tickets are already flying. It's a Cracking Kick Off to Christmas, Christmas Tales from Paradise Heights Style, you'd be crazy to miss it! Book your tickets at the link:

www.ticketweb.uk/event/the-broken-banshee-caberet-the-kings-arms-tickets/8941515?REFERRAL_ID=tmfeed

Merry Feckin' Christmas!

Joe x

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Christmas in Paradise Heights Part 1: The Second Coming of Frank Morgan

11/19/2018

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After a ferocious return earlier this year, I'm Frank Morgan: RewiRED is back just in time to haunt Christmas. The celebrated first Tale from Paradise Heights made it into film and theatre all those years ago, way back in 1999 came the film based on the play, the play - well there's more on the history of it here: www.talesfromparadiseheights.com/im-frank-morgan-rewired.html

So if you've seen I'm Frank Morgan before 2018, you've seen it...except - YOU HAVEN'T.

This is the Frank Morgan Remix, the revisit the reincarnation of a Devil, Frank - RewiRED. The new show tore apart the old monster and created a new one, a Frank-enstein Morgan if you will. Major new story threads were added to the tale creating a richer and more layered story, shot through with a vein of dark gothic meets urban horror, a twisted modern fairy tale. I guarantee you there is nothing like it out there, and audiences and reviewers loved it, the original play was the trailer...this is the full blown story. A Modern Myth. A Modern Tragedy.

The original script became the corner stone for what would become a whole series of interconnected plays and films, all set on the same estate - Paradise Heights. All the stories have been critically acclaimed and have gained a strong Northern following down the years, and this year the series moved into animation with The Night Death Put Me Down.

As there are plans to bring back all the tales over the next couple of years - starting with The Bench in 2019 www.talesfromparadiseheights.com/the-bench.html now would be a good time to get in at the beginning and savour the experience from the origin, this tale.

And here's a blast from the past, an interview from BBC Radio Manchester Icons series, it's all about Tales from Paradise Heights, and its influences.

So that gives you a flavour of what this series of well reviewed plays and films is all about, the best kept secret on the UK theatrical scene it seems. So yeah - now's a good time to get on board, and of course there's lots more info on The Tales in the drop down menus above. Hope to see you.

Tickets available soon for The Kings Arms, 15th December, 7.30pm
Tickets £10-/£8 cons: The Kings Arms, Bloom Street, Salford M3 6AN
www.kingsarmssalford.com/

Joe x

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The Haunting of Blaine Manor: Autumn Tour - Update

8/12/2018

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'There's a joy in being scared - a thrill.'

'The most talked about
haunter since
The Woman in Black.'

So after July's fantastic run at Buxton Festival, we're now gearing up for the Autumn Tour of The Haunting of Blaine Manor.

There's going to be a fair bit of posting and news coming up about the tour, so this post will be the main 'go to' post that will contain as much relevant info as possible about the production and where it will turn up next.

The journey of the play so far has been fabulous. Winning The Salford Star's award for The Best Play of 2017, gaining fresh new reviews from each theatre run, breaking house records, selling out two weeks before we arrived in London and getting wonderful responses from all our audiences, some of whom have now seen the play 3 or 4 times, each time bringing new faces so that they in turn can watch their reactions to the play...the fear is infectious.

Why Should You See The Haunting of Blaine Manor?

To ask you to take our word about the play would be unfair, which is why below you'll find links to reviews and a voxpops video of interviews with audience members who came to see the production, they very graciously shared their views on the play.

'A brilliant story,
really well told.'

REVIEWS

The link below will take you to reviews by established theatre critics.

www.talesfromparadiseheights.com/reviews.html

'Agatha Christie
meets
The Haunting.'

Character Tarot Cards designed by Darren McGinn

The Origin of The Play...Ghosts in the Night

The following link will bring you to a page filled with the stunning photography of Karen McBride and Shay Rowan, the digital design work and photography of Darren McGinn and myself talking about why I wrote The Haunting of Blaine Manor.

www.talesfromparadiseheights.com/the-haunting-of-blaine-manor.html

'I felt like there was something in the room throughout...truly gave me the scare.'

TRAILER

1950s Classic B&W Movie Trailer

As you will find out elsewhere, when writing the play I wanted to create the feeling of watching an old black and white film set in a haunted house...so here's a cheeky trailer to capture that feel...nowhere near as good as the quite brilliant trailer that Darren McGinn created (above) with the original music and sound effects of Justin Wetherill.

Come join us on our journey across the North West, to Yorkshire and to Shropshire...get your tickets and climb aboard the ghost train.

With the house record setting sell out of the show at Buxton Festival it's probably a good idea to book ahead for this show - and we sold out London 2 weeks before we got there. Links are below where tickets are on sale for the show...

Oswaldtwistle Civic Arts Centre - 22nd Sept
www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/227032

Square Chapel Arts Centre, Halifax - 27/28 Sept
www.squarechapel.co.uk/whats-on/the-haunting-of-blaine-manor/

Hebden Bridge Little Theatre, Hebden Bridge 19/20 October
hblt.co.uk/diary/shazia-mirza-2-2

The New Continental, Preston 24/25 October
newcontinental.net/whats-on/event/haunting-blaine-manor

The Met, Bury - Halloween Special - 31 October
themet.org.uk/event/haunting-blaine-manor/

Hermon Chapel Arts Centre, Oswestry - 1/2/3 November
www.ticketsource.co.uk/event/260932

'There is murder here,
there is horror, there is the supernatural...but there's also a detective story.'

Yes, as well as being a chiller to watch, there's also something of a detective story going on. Can you predict how the play will end? What are the agenda's at play? Who is hiding what? And there's more than murder in the air...there are ghosts here and something else, oh yes most definitely something else...but we don't want to give too much away.

As you're watching - as it all becomes too much to bear - close your eyes, take hold of the person next to you and just keep saying to yourself 'It's only a play...it's only a play...'

Come and join us for a night you will never forget.

Joe x

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Vintage Horror Meets Vintage Theatre: Liverpool and Todmorden Theatres Over 100 Years Old To Host The Haunting of Blaine Manor

THE HIPPODROME, Todmorden, Saturday 7th September

Blaine Manor, The Devil Rides Out and - A Nolan Sister; Ghosts and The Epstein Theatre, Liverpool

The Ghost Train is Coming to Town...Follow The Tour

The Haunting of Blaine Manor Tour 2019: The Venues

The Playhouse, Halifax, Saturday 15th June

The Waterside, Sale, Friday 21st June

The Garrick Theatre, Stockport, Friday 5th July

The Carriageworks, Leeds, Saturday 6th July

Cast, Doncaster, Friday 12th & Saturday 13th July

Batley Town Hall, Batley, Saturday 20th July

The Epstein, Liverpool, Friday 6th September

The Hippodrome, Todmorden, Saturday 7th September

The Albert Hall, Bolton, Friday 11th October

The Rosehill Theatre, Whitehaven, Friday 18th October

Burnley Mechanics, Burnley, Friday 25th October

Whitby Pavilion, Whitby, Thursday 31st October
HALLOWEEN

The Watcher now on Amazon Prime UK and The Return of Frank Morgan

The Watcher: A Tale from Paradise Heights...Available on American Amazon Prime and Rolling Out To Over 70 World Wide VOD Services

Rushing Headlong Down The Highway of 2019...

Christmas in Paradise Heights Part 2: The Broken Banshee Cabaret

Christmas in Paradise Heights Part 1: The Second Coming of Frank Morgan

The Haunting of Blaine Manor: Autumn Tour - Update

Why Should You See The Haunting of Blaine Manor?

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Archives

Categories

THE HIPPODROME, Todmorden, Saturday 7th September​

The Playhouse, Halifax, Saturday 15th June

The Waterside, Sale, Friday 21st June

The Garrick Theatre, Stockport, Friday 5th July

The Carriageworks, Leeds, Saturday 6th July

Cast, Doncaster, Friday 12th & Saturday 13th July

Batley Town Hall, Batley, Saturday 20th July

The Epstein, Liverpool, Friday 6th September

The Hippodrome, Todmorden, Saturday 7th September

The Albert Hall, Bolton, Friday 11th October

The Rosehill Theatre, Whitehaven, Friday 18th October

Burnley Mechanics, Burnley, Friday 25th October

Whitby Pavilion, Whitby, Thursday 31st October ​HALLOWEEN

Why Should You See The Haunting of Blaine Manor?

Author

Archives

Categories

THE HIPPODROME, Todmorden, Saturday 7th September

Whitby Pavilion, Whitby, Thursday 31st October
HALLOWEEN