HellSpawn to Possess Riverdale Park

This Halloween, the locally based Active Cultures Theater Group presents "HellSpawn," three short plays inspired by the "The Exorcist" movie, and the local legend behind the film. 

According to Mary Resing, Artistic Director and local University Park resident, Active Cultures does locally specific theater, and they decided to perform these suburban legends based on community interest.

"Often we ask our audience what they'd like to see," she said. 

The film "The Exorcist" and it's landmarks in DC are well known to residents in the area, but the story's origins are actually much closer to home.

"The film was based on things that occurred in Cottage City," said Resing, explaining that residents wanted to see their part in this local legend on stage.

The trilogy of plays, directed by Lee Mikeska Gardner, are set in and around Cottage City, MD, and just a few short miles from Riverdale Park.

"Never Have I Ever," by Mary Resing and Jessica Burgess, is about teenager's sleepover that takes a turn for the terrifying; "Rare Medium Well Done," by Alexandra Petri, is a black comedy about a high school senior who becomes possessed by the devil during an Ivy League college interview; and "To Hell & Back", by April Brassard, is a retelling of the local 1949 exorcism in Cottage City and will be done in the style of an old, black and white monster movie.

Active Cultures is based on the Route 1 corridor and has a long tradition of performing their work in Riverdale Park.

The plays will be performed at the Town Center in Riverdale Park in the Jemal Building, and will run October 13, 14, 15, 21, and 22 at 8 p.m. for $15 a ticket, with a special midnight performance on October 22 for $20 a ticket.  October 14 is Riverdale Resident Discount Night, and tickets will be half off for all residents.  Tickets can be purchased online, or purchased by cash or check at the door.

If you miss "HellSpawn" in Riverdale Park, you can catch it at the Woolly Mammoth Theater Company's Melton Rehearsal Hall in Washington, DC, October 27-30. See their website for ticket prices and other details.