PLAYHOUSE OF THE DAMNED
"Introduction"
by Richard Nathan
The play takes place in a theatre called "The
Playhouse Of The Damned," and it resembles a bad dream.
The play itself is a series of short horror stories.
They take place in a variety of locations, mostly interiors. The
locations should be suggested as simply as possible, with a minimum of props.
Many of the stories require a door, so there should be a door somewhere
on the stage.
As the play begins, we meet our host, GUS THE
GHOUL. Gus will narrate each of
the stories.
A note about playing Gus: Gus in another in a long line of pun-loving hosts of horror stories. The line goes back a long way, at least as far back as the 1940's, when the radio horror anthology "Inner Sanctum" had a host named Raymond who told gruesome puns when introducing the frightening tales. Traditionally, these hosts are portrayed as sly, playful fiends who emphasize the puns. I think it works better to portray Gus as absolutely serious, unable to crack a smile (though a sneer will work), maybe a little angry. Think of Alan Rickman, and you're on the right path.
GUS
Welcome to The Playhouse of the Damned.
This is the Playhouse.
Guess what part
you play. Here's a hint.
In just a few minutes,
you'll find yourself agreeing with hundreds of
theater-goers who have attended our Playhouse
and said, "I'll be damned if I'm going to sit
through any more of this!" I
am your host,
Gus the Ghoul. A ghoul is a fiend
who robs
graves and eats the flesh of the dead. I
don't
particularly like eating the flesh of the dead,
but the living scream so loudly when you
bite into them.
You know, the rest of the cast
asked me if I'd like to join them for a bite after
the show, and I said, "Of corpse I would!"
You're welcome to come along. Just
meet us
down at the graveyard! But now
it's time to
begin our ominous omnibus of horror...
Gus
proceeds to introduce the first story.
Click here to go to another PLAYHOUSE OF THE DAMNED story
© 2000 by Richard Nathan. All rights reserved
The author grants all internet user the right to print these scripts for their own, personal, non-commercial use. No other use may be made without the author's permission. Without limiting the foregoing, the plays may not be staged without the author's express permission.
Send e-mail to the author at Richard-Nathan@att.net.