CAVEAT: I have worked closely for many years with Courtney McLean, the storyteller in this show.
SHOW TITLE: Bump in the Night
PRODUCER: Erin Sheppard Presents
HAILING FROM: Minnesota
SHOW DESCRIPTION: Erin Sheppard presents Bump in the Night. BITN weaves through many facets of the horror genre using dance and storytelling. Equally terrifying and whimsically absurd, this show finds humor within the darkness.
WHAT CAUGHT MY INTEREST: Horror and storytelling are two things that are things that I like.
Just who do you think you are, anyway?
My name is Erin Sheppard and I am a dancer/choreographer and actor/improviser from Minneapolis. I perform improv semi-regularly at HUGE Theater and teach youth hip hop at Zenon Dance School. I do theatre sometimes and choreograph for various people and shows as they come up. I am most happy when I am performing and most myself when I am dancing. When I get to perform dance, I am over the moon!
So what’s the big idea?
Bump in the Night is a horror themed dance and storytelling show. There are four stories and eight dances that explore different types of horror. Each dance is it’s own horror story that is easy to follow and the music is really fun. Courtney McLean of the Rockstar Storytellers wrote her own scary stories based on the themes of the dance pieces. They are poignant, chilling and funny.
How did you come up with a screwy idea like that?
I originally created Bump in the Night for the Twin Cities Horror Festival last October. I love dancing to pop music, so a lot of the pieces I create are around three minutes long. In order to do a 45-60 minute show (and give dancers a chance to change costumes and breathe) I wanted to have some other aspect be part of it. I have always loved scary stories and having just seen Courtney perform in The Love Show at the 2012 MN Fringe Fest I thought she may be up for collaborating. She was! The stories and dance pieces work really well together and we all had such a great time creating and performing Bump in the Night so I submitted it to Fringe. We’ve made some tweaks to tighten it up a bit and can’t wait to share it with Fringe audiences!
Why should I care?
This is a very entertaining show that balances between creepy and humorous. It’s not your typical storytelling or dance show and you don’t have to be a fan of either to get it or to enjoy it. And if you do like dance and storytelling, then you will love it! Courtney is an amazing storyteller and each of the dancers bring their own sense of humor to their performances.
Justify your show’s existenec in haiku form.
Creepy and funny
Through dancing and words, see what
Goes Bump in the Night
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