Even More…Ghost Stories by Candlelight at Shakespeare North Playhouse

Step into the candlelight this Halloween when Even More… Ghost Stories by Candlelight returns to Shakespeare North Playhouse. Expect spine-tingling storytelling as four brand-new tales – from award-winning writers – are performed live by candlelight in the Cockpit Theatre.

An ambitious co-production between acclaimed touring companies HighTide and Pentabus, the evening is inspired by the centuries-old tradition of gathering together to tell ghost stories in the dark. Even More… Ghost Stories by Candlelight swaps gore and special effects for intimacy and imagination – the kind of storytelling that lingers long after the candles have gone out.

Directed by Pentabus Artistic Director Elle While, this year’s edition features eerie new works from Florence Espeut-Nickless, Simon Longman, Anne Odeke and Rosa Torr – each exploring the secret corners and haunted edges of the East and West of England. Together, they conjure a patchwork of landscapes where folklore and modern life intertwine, and where the ghosts are often closer than we think.

Performed by Sarita Gabony and Keaton Guimarães-Tolley, with illusions by John Bulleid and evocative design by Lu Herbert, Anna Short and Jonathan Chan, Even More… Ghost Stories by Candlelight proves that less can be much, much more. Two actors, a few props and the flicker of a flame are all that’s needed to conjure unease, curiosity and dread.

For the culturally savvy this Halloween, this is evocative storytelling in its purest form – a reminder that before horror films and haunted houses, there were simply people, gathered in the dark, sharing tales that spoke to their fears and fascinations.

Recommended for ages 12+. Join Shakespeare North Playhouse this Halloween – just don’t let the light go out.