From Oct. 25 until Oct. 31, Thunder River Theatre Company (TRTC) will present the immersive theater experience of “Ghostlight” by Michael Duran. This truncated run will have 13 total performances of monodramas with multiple showings per night, each running about 90 minutes. The production will utilize spaces in the theater that audiences have never before had the chance to visit, such as — cue the spooky music — the basement.
“Patrons are going to have an opportunity to not only see the black box completely reimagined, but they’re going to have a chance to see what I refer to as the heart of the theater, which is the basement,” Missy Moore, executive director of TRTC and director of “Ghostlight,” told us.
A “ghostlight,” when speaking in theater terms, is an electric light that is kept running when a theater space is unoccupied to keep the stage lit for those coming and going out of the space; whether living or otherwise.
This show is based on the playwright’s personal paranormal experiences working in now defunct theaters throughout Colorado, including the Bonfils-Lowenstein Theatre in Denver, which is now the Tattered Cover book store, Loretto Heights College for the Performing Arts, and the Steamboat Depot Art Center. Duran took the stories of those conjurings and wrote these stories based on people who work in the theater industry.
“You’ve got the stage manager’s tale, the director’s tale, the costumer’s tale, the actor’s tale. It’s people who have a career in the theater who experienced these hauntings. These ghost stories are not for the faint of heart. Fair warning — they are a little spooky. This is a play that is an immersive experience designed to frighten,” Moore stated.
She continued, “If you’re easy to scare, or don’t like scare tactics, we’re really leaning into that in the execution of this story. So be mindful, if you don’t like to get spooked. This is probably not the play for you.”
When asked what her goal for audiences was for this show, Moore said that it’s to “scare the bejesus out of people,” but to also shine a light on the history of the defunct theaters that inspired the show’s creation.
“One thing that I hope that they keep in the back of their head is these hauntings actually happened to Michael Duran in defunct theaters in Colorado. The dramatization of it is very exciting, but the actual hauntings themselves are rather terrifying. It goes to show you that theaters have a rich history,” Moore said.
She explained further that TRTC is not recommending anyone under the age of 15 attend this performance due to the scary and potentially upsetting nature of the stories.
The cast consists of Brittany Crooke as The Scenic Painter, debut TRTC actor Em Smith as The Stage Manager, James O’Hagan Murphy as The Actor, Mike Monroney as The Director, Libby Rife as The Professor, and Travis Dean Wilson as The Costume Designer.
The rehearsal process has been tight since the show is on a short run. Moore said it has been going smoothly nonetheless, as all the actors and crew involved studied their materials deeply before beginning rehearsals.
“Because I knew it was going to be such a complicated rehearsal process, I asked that they come in mostly memorized. At our first read-through, our group of six actors were about 90 to 95% off the book, which can be a little difficult. It has been a fun little challenge,” Moore stated.
“Ghostlight” is also TRTC’s first stab at specialized Halloween programming, which is something that Moore said that she is excited to do more of in the future.
“Historically, or at least since I’ve been here, we haven’t done anything around the Halloween season. We’re usually in rehearsal for a second show. I’ve done a lot of imagining about when we offer our shows, and I would love to continue to have Halloween or late fall-feeling shows moving forward into future seasons,” she said.

Tickets for ‘Ghostlight’ are available at www.thunderrivertheatre.com