By: Scout Swonger (They/Them/Theirs)
As the spookiest of days approaches and everyone is getting into the Halloween spirit with jack-o-lanterns, skeletons, and graves about the yard, we at BTG are gearing up for our own twist (or, one could say, warp) on a celebration of the season. On Friday the 29th you can join us in your finest bustiers and fishnets (or sweaters and letterman jackets if you’re more of a Brad) for a very special screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at The Colonial. With Nancy Nogood hosting the evening, giving a crash course in the famous audience participation for Rocky Horror virgins, and even treating us to a pre-movie performance, it is sure to be the perfect way to get in the mood for the holiday weekend.
With all the festivities about it was inevitable that my eye was drawn to this somewhat seasonal piece when taking a look through our archives:
“Playhouse Gunmen Fail, Two Dead Crows Wanted
STOCKBRIDGE, June 22–The Berkshire Playhouse is hunting for two dead crows.
Things are pretty urgent, too. The crows have to be given the twice-over by a taxidermist before they are used in Monday night’s premiere of “We the Willoughbys.”
For the past few days no fewer than five heretofore successful hunters have been tramping the rields to wing a brace of the black birds. But thus far the barrage of shotgun shells from the Playhouse storm troopers has been barren of results. In desperation, the Playhouse today advertises in The Eagle, hoping for a quick return.
Nobody’s telling what roles the crows are to play, except to say mysteriously that they are ‘important.'”
I’m happy to say we have made great strides in our props sourcing since then and have been able to avoid hunting parties or visits to a taxidermist. Though after reading it does make me wonder just how exactly the prop crow that has been a fixture of the box office decor came to be…
We look forward to kicking off Hallo-weekend with a jump to the left, a step to the right, and a night free of crow hunting!
