Kentucky Shakespeare presents US Premiere
THE HAUNTING by Hugh Janes
Continuing their Halloween production tradition, Kentucky Shakespeare presents a US Premiere inside their headquarters in historic Old Louisville this fall. Hugh Janes’ The Haunting enjoyed a successful tour of the United Kingdom, and Kentucky Shakespeare will be the first US theatre company to produce this Victorian ghost play, inspired by some of Charles Dickens’ ghost stories. The production runs September 30-October 25 at 616 Myrtle Street inside Kentucky Shakespeare’s headquarters in Old Louisville.
About the Production:
In an ancient, crumbling mansion, two men stumble across a dark and terrifying secret that will change their lives forever. David Filde is employed to catalogue the estate’s impressive library and finds an incredible array of rare books. But as a series of strange and unexplained events conspire to keep Filde from his work, he realizes that if he is to convince his skeptical employer that the mysterious phenomena he is experiencing is real, they must journey together to the very edge of terror to discover the source of the haunting visitations.
The Creative and Production Team:
The production is directed by Kentucky Shakespeare Producing Artistic Director Matt Wallace and features veteran Kentucky Shakespeare actors Zachary Burrell and Jon Huffman. The award-winning* design team: Jesse AlFord is Lighting Designer, Karl Anderson is Scenic Designer, Laura Ellis is the Sound Designer, Donna Lawrence-Downs is Costume Designer, and Sam Powers is Properties Designer, with dialect coaching by Joy Lanceta Coronel. Emily Kober is Production Stage Manager and Rachel Meadors is Assistant Stage Manager, with Lindsay Krupski as Lighting Supervisor. (*Designers Jesse AlFord, Karl Anderson, Laura Ellis, and Donna Lawrence-Downs won Arts-Louisville Theatre Awards for their design work on the 2022 Kentucky Shakespeare production of Enter Ghost. an immersive haunted Hamlet experience.)
Event Details:
THE HAUNTING by Hugh Janes
September 30-October 25, 2026
7:00PM Wednesdays through Saturdays and 2:00PM on Saturdays and Sundays
(No matinees the first weekend in October, due to St. James Court Art Show)
Tickets: $30
Kentucky Shakespeare Headquarters, 616 Myrtle Street, Louisville, KY 40208
Visit kyshakespeare.com for tickets and information.
Run-Time: Approximately two hours with one intermission
During the ticket checkout process, audience members will have option to make a donation to Kentucky Shakespeare. Donors $20 and above will receive a commemorative The Haunting t-shirt at the performance, with one t-shirt per each $20 donation.
The Haunting is produced by special arrangement with Sayle Screen Ltd, Hugh Janes, playwright.
This production is made possible through support from Louisville Metro, Fund for the Arts, the Kentucky Arts Council, Givaudan Sense Colour, and Don Stevens & Libby Marbury.
About the Playwright:
Hugh Janes was an actor for over twenty years, making his stage debut at age ten. He has since written over forty plays, musicals, and site-specific pieces, as well as for television and film. He was a writer and script consultant on the BBC series Play Away and devised Scatterbox for ITV. Other television credits include Beyond the Wall, Conversations with a Stranger, the series Second Time Around (BBC), and the film Even Break (BK Films). Stage plays include After Dark (Bikeshed Theatre), Master Forger, Two of a Kind, The Perfect Murder (from a story by Jeffrey Archer), Deadlock, Dancers (Mayfair Theatre), A Soldier’s Song (form the book by Ken Lukowiak), The Complete Ring of the Nibelung (abridged), Dangers to Know (form the book by Barbara Taylor Bradford), Land of Lies (co-written with Gerald Moon), Sealed Knot, Four Quarters and Downtown Dash, Ophelia, and Museum of Horror (at the Ediburgh Fringe in 2011), and Riot in The Royal Oak. Hugh was Writer-in-Residence for the Barbican Theatre and Plymouth Libraries, and wrote many shows for them including Janners, Time & Tide, and Divine Darkness (YOTA Award). As Artistic Associate of Part Exchange Theatre Company he has written The Last King of Davenport and Guildhall Tours. His feature film Wide Blue Yonder starring Brian Cox, Lauren Bacall, and James Fox, directed by Robert Young, premiered in 2010.
If you would like to schedule an interview with the production’s director and Producing Artistic Director Matt Wallace, or learn more about Kentucky Shakespeare, please contact 502.574.9900 ext. 12 or at info@kyshakespeare.com.