Based on several ghost stories by Charles Dickens, The Haunting by Hugh Janes combines the essential hallmarks of a great Victorian ghost story with a terrifying mystery and will be staged in-the-round at the New Vic from Friday 24 May to Saturday 15 June.

The atmospheric production will be brought to life by the designer of the iconic West End smash-hit The Woman In Black, Michael Holt; well-known for creating sets full of intrigue. Eleanor Taylor (Associate Director, The Worst Witch, West End; A Play For The Living In A Time of Extinction, Headlong Theatre; Around the World in 80 Days, New Vic) will direct, and Illusionist Consultant Dr Will Houstoun (The Twilight Zone, The Almeida; Guardians of The Galaxy, Secret Cinema; Wolf Hall, BBC) will provide expertise in illusion and magic.

Bringing to life the characters in The Haunting, a story that follows a young man who visits an ancient manor house to organise the estate of the late owner, are David Ahmad (Uncle Vanya, Orange Tree Theatre, The Crucible, National Theatre) as Lord Gray, Jessica Hole (Witness for the Prosecution, London County Hall) as Mary, and Richard Leeming (Romeo and Juliet, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Don Quixote, RSC/Nimax; Dr Faustus, RSC/Barbican) as David Filde.

Director Eleanor Taylor said: “This gothic ghost story offers us an incredible opportunity to stage a play full of magic and illusions, and call on the New Vic’s fabulous atmosphere and immersive quality to really place audiences at the heart of this spooky, engaging story. Staging illusions in-the-round is, naturally, far more challenging than in other theatre configurations and I’m really looking forward to working with the team to push our creative boundaries, explore the space and bring this Dickensian tale to life”.

The Haunting takes to the stage at the New Vic from Friday 24 May to Saturday 15 June 2024. Tickets are on sale now, priced from £10.00.

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