The (White) House of Horrors:
Who is Candlelight Theatre?

The (White) House of Horrors: Who is Candlelight Theatre?

October 11, 2018

Candlelight Theatre, formerly known at Victorian Theatre by Candlelight, produces four plays in partnership with the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site every year. This season begins on October 12, the opening night of The (White) House of Horrors.

The (White) House of Horrors, initially titled Ghost Tales of D.C., is the theatre’s original fall production. The company has since added different types of ghost story plays, like Hoosier Haunts and Spirits of Blue and Gray. Now, there are six total and each play is presented every six years.

The last time Candlelight Theatre performed a version of The (White) House of Horrors was in 2012.

Donna Wing, creative director of Candlelight Theatre, recalls one of her most memorable experiences of the show.

“A group of middle schoolers had attended the play to celebrate a birthday party,” she said. “They were quite engaged and tremendously haunted. At the end of the play one of the parents approached me and said, ‘Thank you for giving the children a delightful time while teaching them U.S. history without their knowing it!’ I have received this type of feedback many times.”

The autumn productions are works of resident playwright James Trofatter. He has directed, written and acted in the Ghost Tales series since 2006.

“Candlelight Theatre is unlike any other theatre in the country,” Wing said. “Guests are immersed in the theatre experience; they are in the action. [The (White) House of Horrors] is entertaining, creepy, engaging, and historical. And the venue is unlike any other.”

This year, The (White) House of Horrors will show weekends from October 12 – 28. Shows begin every half hour from 6 – 8:30 p.m. besides October 28. On that day, shows start at 2 p.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. For a full list of dates and times, visit our Eventbrite page.

This is the first installment in our (White) House of Horrors blog series. Check back in next week for our post highlighting YOUR scary stories. Send us your spooky tales by emailing events@bhpsite.org.

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