Terror 2006

The Terror Seasons began at the Union Theatre in 2004. With an eclectic mix of classic, cult and comic book horror, the seasons have developed into Britain's only Horror Theatre Festival, playing annually for five weeks over Halloween.

2006 commemorates the 70th anniversary of the death of Montague Rhodes James, one of Britain's best-known ghost-story writers. Many regard his tales to be among the finest of the genre and writers such as Stephen King and Ruth Rendell have acknowledged his influence.

The Sticking Place will present the world premier of The Disappearance adapted from the James tale by Daragh Carville (winner of the 1997 Stewart Parker Award and the 1998 Meyer-Whitworth Prize), directed by Sticking Place Artistic Director and Terror Season creator, Adam Meggido. William Stewart (adaptor of HP Lovecraft's Reanimator in 2004) will present a new version of James' chiller The Rose Garden for Natural Perspectives Theatre Company directed by Jason Lawson. Further MR James adaptations will play over Halloween including Sean McCann's version of There Was A Man Dwelt By A Churchyard. No other theatre or literary group will be commemorating the work of MR James in such a high-profile way.

The season ventures into even darker terrain with a revival of Anthony Neilson's first play - Normal, a shocking and controversial exploration into the mind of Peter Kurten – the Düsseldorf Ripper of the 1930's. ('An intelligent and deathly good play.' The Independent.) Directed by Bill Buckhurst (most recently The Vegemite Tales, West End) and starring Simon Lenagan (The Bill, Coronation Street, Spooks.)

The Halloween Specials (October 30th and 31st) feature the MR James adaptations as well as eccentric acts and twisted turns. And madness and mayhem arrives with legendary theatre maverick Ken Campbell as he explores the genre with his team of improvisers, fresh from their recent successes at The Royal Court, Shakespeare's Globe, The Edinburgh Festival, and Canada's 53-hour Impro-Soapathon! Expect the unexpected...!