Gibsons businesses and cultural institutions are uniting to produce a public Halloween block party on Saturday, Oct. 29. The event is a restored and upscaled version of haunting histrionics that were curtailed for two years by COVID-19 restrictions.
The Driftwood Players Popup Theatre Company will present A Beetlejuicy Halloween, a musical sendup of the 1998 horror film that starred Michael Keaton as the eponymous ghoul.
The outdoor production involves over two dozen community members and stars local tap dancer Gabriel Ditmars as an underworld concierge who offers his services to a newly-deceased couple trying to acclimate to the afterlife.
“I think people like to celebrate their community, their events, their town,” said JoAnn Bennison, who penned the script and directs the live production. “They like to get together and enjoy themselves and have a creative outlet, both for the performers and the audience. We want the audience to be involved. So we have songs, and we want people to be singing along and moving and dancing and having fun.”
Bennison has been involved in the annual Halloween block party throughout its eight-year history. Driftwood began the tradition by performing skits in the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives. Later years involved flash mob-style antics that paid tribute to the Ghostbusters film and Michael Jackson’s 1982 pop hit Thriller.
Attendance at pre-COVID Halloween block parties peaked at around 700 people. This year, Winn Road will be closed for the late afternoon and evening of Oct. 29 to accommodate the large audiences anticipated at three performances of the 20-minute Beetlejuicy drama.
A ghostly ensemble led by vocalist Irene Bradley will provide musical accompaniment, supported by percussionist Celso Machado. Choreography by spectral belly dancers is designed to elicit audience participation. A vermicular puppet crafted by artist Nix Boehm makes cameos, animated by multiple actors in the undulating style of a Chinese New Year dragon dance. Newly-elected mayor Silas White plays the role of The Mayor.
Participants range from preteens to septuagenarians. “It’s been amazing to watch talented youngsters take their first steps into theatre and really blossom,” said Bill Forst, producer of A Beetlejuicy Halloween. “This experience is a gateway. It’s a really easy way for someone to test the waters, whether or not they’ve had theatrical experience, and to encourage them to audition for our mainstage productions next year.”
The Halloween Block Party will also include storytelling and drumming with Talaysay Tours, a provider of Indigenous cultural and eco-tourism experiences. An immersive tour titled The Phantom Landing is planned for the Sunshine Museum and Archives. The Gibsons and District Library has scheduled a series of Spooky Story Readings and Deer Crossing the Art Farm will share a dramatic presentation titled Game of Chance.
Two choral groups — Wild Voices and the Sunshine Coast Children’s Choir — promise a performance of haunting songs. The Arts Building Society will transform its playground at the corner of Souther Fletcher Road and Winn Road into a lantern garden.
Food and beverages will be offered by Gibsons Tapworks and the Salt & Swine Food Truck.
“It’s a block party, so people can walk and move from event to event and it’s going be a really fabulous evening of fun,” said Bennison.
An event map and schedule is available at the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives and The Arts Building. The Halloween Block Party starts at 5 p.m. and runs until 8 p.m. on Oct. 29. Admission is by donation and it is suitable for all ages.
