Theatre News Wire

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) announced the cast and creative team for Paranormal Activity, an original story based on Paramount Pictures' terrifying film franchise-now live on stage. This North American premiere from celebrated Chicago playwright Levi Holloway (Broadway's Grey House) and Punchdrunk's Felix Barrett (Sleep No More) features illusions by Tony Award winner Chris Fisher (Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child). James and Lou move from Chicago to London to escape the past...but they soon discover that places aren't haunted, people are. The production runs October 8-November 2 in The Yard, featuring performances by Cher Alvarez, Patrick Heusinger, Shannon Cochran, and Kate Fry. Following the run at Chicago Shakespeare, the North American premiere production runs at Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles (November 13-December 7), Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. (January 28-February 7), and American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco (February 19-March 15).

Paranormal Activity at Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Levi Holloway shared, "Writing Paranormal Activity for the stage, collaborating with Felix Barrett in London-working to create an actual nightmare-has been a dream. We strived to create something impossible, mixing the familiar with the uncanny, heart with horror. Chicago audiences have a nose for honesty on stage and little patience for anything else. They'll find it here, right alongside all the mischief we've made to trouble their sleep."

"It is such an exciting proposition to be bringing together two masters of their craft in Chicago's Levi Holloway and the pioneering founder of Punchdrunk, Felix Barrett, to give audiences a truly unforgettable Halloween experience in the theatre," said CST Artistic Director Edward Hall. "If you're looking for the ultimate Halloween night out then look no further. Cinema gives us manufactured paranormal activity but it is in the theater that you genuinely won't believe what your eyes are seeing..."

Playing Lou and James, a couple trying to escape a sinister force, are Cher Álvarez and Patrick Heusinger. Álvarez has been seen on Chicago stages including the Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, and Writers Theatre, along with productions at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and American Players Theatre. She has also appeared on television in shows such as Grey's Anatomy and NCIS: Hawai'i. Heusinger has been seen on Broadway in Next Fall and Fiddler on the Roof and starred as Lancelot in the national tour of Spamalot. He is also known for his work on the television shows Gossip Girl, Royal Pains, and Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce.

The cast also includes Shannon Cochran as James' mother Carolanne and Kate Fry as Mrs. Cotgrave, a medium. Cochran has many Chicago credits at theaters including Steppenwolf Theatre, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, and more. Other credits include the West Coast premiere of Broadway's Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in San Francisco, the national tour of Roundabout Theatre Company's Cabaret, and the first national tour of August: Osage County. This production marks a return to the horror genre for Cochran, as she appeared in the 2002 film The Ring. Fry returns to Chicago Shakespeare after many credits, including last season's Henry V, along with As You Like It, Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, and The Merchant of Venice. She's also been seen recently in The Cherry Orchard at Goodman Theatre and Birthday Candles at Northlight Theatre.