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Simon Clark is one of Britain's most popular and acclaimed authors of horror fiction, with such titles as the apocalyptic Blood Crazy, the Vampyrrhic series, and the John Wyndham sequel Night of the Triffids among many others. Hotel Midnight will feature adaptations of three of his most imaginative and haunting stories written by some of the Manchester fringe scene's best adapters. In Swallowing a Dirty Seed, adapted by Baz Greenland, a reclusive writer allows two lost students to stay overnight at his remote Welsh cottage - but he does not realise just how lost they are. In They Will Not Rest, adapted by Ross Kelly (Wine of India), the end of the world has come and for most of the world's population, to sleep means death - but three people have found a way to stay awake, if they can only trust each other. And in Humpty's Bones, adapted by Sean Mason (V for Vendetta), when Eden Page goes to stay with her eccentric archeologist aunt in a remote part of Yorkshire, a local dig throws up something very unusual; something ancient but that, somehow, Eden knows - and it knows her...
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| Simon Clark |
Simon himself says, "There is a grand tradition of dramatizing ghost stories for the theatre. The Horror Fringe in Manchester continues this proud tradition. I'm delighted that some of my eeriest stories will become part of this ambitious event," and adds, "I've been fortunate enough to read the adaptations of my stories by three extremely talented writers and can say to anyone who enjoys uncanny and thought-provoking drama in the vein of Quatermass, Lawrence Gordon Clark's TV ghost stories and The Twilight Zone then they are in for a very special treat."
The Horror Fringe will also take in other Manchester venues, including Fab Cafe and the Town Hall Tavern, for a number of accompanying events between 21st and 31st October. Details of the other events - including some exciting and specially-crafted plays derived from both new writing and classic texts - will be announced on this blog in the next few days. Scytheplays Creative Director Daniel Thackeray says, "It was felt by a few of us on the fringe scene that there wasn't enough horror theatre around - especially around the time of Halloween. It's exciting to be able to redress that somewhat. And as someone who remembers being vividly terrified reading Blood Crazy a few years ago, I'm so pleased to have Simon on board and think we'll be kicking off the festival in fine style!"
Hotel Midnight will open at Studio One, the new space at Salford's King's Arms Theatre, before moving on to the Lass O'Gowrie. Tickets on the door will cost £8 (or £7 concessions) except for half-price preview performance, or you can book in advance via WeGotTickets.com at the following links:
On the Friday at the King's Arms there will also be an opportunity to attend the Blooming Hell Ghost Tour at 8pm, for those who fancy a spooky double-bill!
The performances of Hotel Midnight at the Lass O'Gowrie can be booked using the following links:
