Desperate to be Seen, Horrified of Being Known: a Ghost Story
LIGHTS UP ON TWO ETHEREAL BEINGS IN A METAPHYSICAL SPACE - a mattress in the middle of the desert... heaven or hell, depending on who you're sharing it with. This darkly sensual, hilariously heartbreaking, twisted new comedy thrusts two restless spirits into the afterlife - THE GHOST, a man who lived and died by his reputation, who on the surface did everything right, but had a darkness brewing underneath... and THE GHOUL, a young woman whose absurd glamour reeks of tragic desperation, a little girl who always felt small and in death found a chance to become larger than life. As they discuss love, loss, identity, and regret - and coping with the fact that neither one of them have ever really felt alive - these two deeply complicated people reach their breaking point, as they both come to realize things aren't what they seem. Voted 'Best Ensemble Show' at the 2023 Tucson Fringe Festival and awarded special recognition as a 'Stand Out Show' at Hi-Desert Fringe, this exciting new one act play stars Michael Simpson as THE GHOST, playwright Vic Terry as THE GHOUL, and features a live original score by Verdell Smith of Soul Ablaze.
the origin...
Born out of nothing more than a pure desire to perform together, "Desperate to be Seen, Horrified of Being Known: A Ghost Story" has taken Vic Terry and Michael Simpson (celebrity power couple in the making) a long way since their first performance of the piece at a Halloween party that they hosted in 2019. It was the driving force behind launching Good Vibe Cinema, the catalyst for putting on their first major event (The Spooky Schwanky Spectacular Showcase - a packed variety show at a local bar), and it's taken them to the San Diego International Fringe Festival (June 2022), Tucson Fringe (January 2023), the Hi-Desert Fringe Festival (May 2023) and The Rochester Fringe Festival (September 2023).
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Partners in every sense of the word, this is just the beginning for this dynamic duo. Not only do they continue to travel with the show while developing a film adaptation of the piece, they're at the start of an even bigger creative journey - to one day establish their own artistic space out in the desert.