The GPAC virtual season celebrates Halloween with music and storytelling in a unique collaborative production. “Ghost Light” debuted on the GPAC website on October 28.

“Ghost light” is a term often reserved for a single light left on stage when a theater is dark or unoccupied, either to illuminate the late-night wanderer’s way or to ward off mischievous spirits. It is also the name of a spooky, multiple-disciplinary collaboration of university creatives. 

Featuring eerie tunes performed by members of the UNCP Music Department, ghost stories curated by the Museum of the Southeastern American Indian and narration by UNCP faculty and staff from across the campus; all recorded live on the GPAC stage and edited by our very own versatile production staff.

“This has been an incredibly fun and collaborative project,” said James Bass, executive director of GPAC. “We were able to work with a number of multitalented people to create a visually spectacular performance.”

The UNCP talent showcase “Ghost Light” includes exclusive performances by flautist Sarah Busman, pianists Jae Won Kim and Mark Tollefsen, vocalist Katie DiFiglio, percussionist Joseph Van Hassel, and original electronic music by Andrew Beck. It also includes stories read by Mary Ann Jacobs, Nancy Fields Strickland, Lawrence Locklear, Phillip Bullard, Ashley McMillian and Tonya Elk Locklear.

The ghost stories in the show were composed by Nancy Fields Strickland, director of the Museum of the Southeast American Indian at UNCP. “I love ghost stories,” said Fields Strickland. “I collect them, and as these were shared with me, I began writing them down years ago.” Her collection of local haunting tales became a perfect blend for the creepy classical music selections on “Ghost Light.”

“‘Ghost Light’ is a way to bring the arts together for an audience during a time when so many artistic ventures have been canceled,” said Sarah Busman, who pitched the original idea to feature UNCP talent.

Those ideas were visually brought to life by GPAC Technical Operations Manager and de facto virtual series director Lenea Barela-Lewis. Who in addition to filming the performances, was responsible for the lighting and scenic design alongside Technical Director Gary Tremblay.

“Each piece was designed with its own theme and color scheme in mind,” said Barela-Lewis. “Between my lighting, Tremblay’s set design and Chad Locklear’s editing, we worked very hard to bring memorable visuals to the eerie tunes and spooky stories performed on our stage.” 

The GPAC virtual season is only available on the venue’s website, www.uncp.edu/gpac and is free to the public. More content will be shared on the venue’s social media sites.

Click here to view the ghost light series.