What setting could more perfectly capture the spirit of Halloween than a walk through the woods at sunset — where the fading light filters through the trees, shadows stretch across the path, and whispers of mystery hang in the air — only to discover that a murder has just occurred?
“Murder at the Witches Coven,” an outdoor interactive performance coming to the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education on Oct. 16 and 17, transforms the center’s stunning landscape of urban forests and open fields into the scene of a haunting story.
Last summer, the center partnered with Philadelphia-based Indecorous Theatre Productions for a lively, immersive staging of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” in which audiences followed actors along wooded trails. Now, the theater company returns with a brand-new, site-specific work created especially for the Schuylkill Center — this time inviting audiences into a darker, more mysterious tale perfectly suited for October nights.
“This show is really a whole event, an outing,” explained Amanda Clark, co-artistic director of Indecorous Theatre. “It’s perfect for people who love a game, who enjoy solving murder mysteries. Audience members will have access to all of the performers to gather evidence and clues … it will be very fun and interactive in a great setting for a Halloween show.”
Audience members can heighten the anticipation for this immersive murder mystery by visiting Indecorous Theatre’s Instagram page, where they’ll find playful introductions to the “witchy suspects.” Each character — with deliciously theatrical names like Sabrina Youngblood, Rowena Youngblood, Hazel Figthorne, Tommy Lombardi, and Jebediah Goodbody — adds to the intrigue, giving audiences a sneak peek at the colorful personalities they’ll encounter during the performance.
Co-artistic directors Clark and Emily Parker have discovered that the Schuylkill Center offers an ideal stage for their distinctive, site-specific work. The center’s natural amphitheater, nestled at the edge of the woods, provides a perfect anchor for immersive storytelling, while its vast and varied landscape — a mix of woodlands, meadows, ponds, and wetlands — invites creative staging possibilities. As the largest privately owned open space within the city of Philadelphia, the Schuylkill Center’s 365 acres feature bridges, benches, stones, and winding trails that seamlessly weave into the fabric of the performances.
Equally important, the theater company has found the Northwest Philadelphia community to be a warm and enthusiastic audience — one that deeply values the opportunity to experience imaginative, high-quality theater in the midst of their own natural surroundings.
“We’ve heard from people who live in Roxborough and Chestnut Hill who love the arts that they appreciate having this kind of professional theater experience come to them, rather than needing to take the train into the city for an evening of theater,” Clark said.
From the Schuylkill Center’s perspective, this kind of collaboration is also a win. Craig Richie, the event manager at the center, also observes that nature and theater can go wonderfully together.
“People with an artistic viewpoint bring that perspective to an outdoor space … so theater artists like Emily and Amanda can look at the woods here and open their imaginations to what could be created,” Richie explained.
“Murder at the Witches Coven” will be a 21+ event and includes a cocktail or nonalcoholic drink with the ticket price. Described as an evening “full of magic and mischief,” this show invites audience members to come ready to interact, including coming dressed in costumes. The story itself is a straightforward “whodunit,” revolving around a witches’ coven that gathers together for their annual Samhain ritual. When one of their number is mysteriously poisoned, the investigation begins and audience members will be engaged through games and theatrics to help find the killer.
Although the show is scheduled for sunset (beginning at 6 p.m.), the center ensures that lighting will be in place for walking from the amphitheater along the trails. Staff will use flashlights to guide participants along well-traveled paths.
“We created an additional performance area in addition to the amphitheater when ‘TERRA: Bodies & Territories,’ a work of experimental dance theater, was an installation here,” Richie said. “Now we’ll get the chance to use that performance space again. It is perfect for the woodsy atmosphere of ‘Murder at the Witches Coven.’”
In terms of accessibility, Richie encourages anyone with mobility issues to reach out before the show. There will be places to stop, sit and rest through the performance, but the trail itself is covered in dirt and wood chips and is not a paved road.
“Murder at the Witches Coven,” Oct. 16 and 17, at 6 p.m. Tickets: $40. The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, 8480 Hagy’s Mill Road, Roxborough. Parking is available at the center which is also accessible from the Miquon train station on the Manayunk/Norristown regional rail train line. SEPTA Buses 9, 27, 35, 61 all stop near the Schuylkill Center. For more information, visit schuylkillcenter.org/murder-at-the-witches-coven.
