Before cinema learned to make audiences jump, Étienne-Gaspard Robertson was sending ghosts toward them on wooden tracks. In late-18th-century Paris, the scientist, balloonist, and showman’s Fantasmagorie combined rear projection with a movable magic lantern, making small spectral figures grow into enormous apparitions that appeared to approach the crowd.
Dawn Elliott and Joel Schlemowitz revive that theatrical trickery in “Phantasmagoria,” coming to Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz on October 17. The collaborators have constructed a working fantascope, complete with tracks and a rear projection screen, and created scores of hand-painted slides to recreate Robertson’s blend of scientific ingenuity and supernatural spectacle.
Their repertoire includes a haunted graveyard, the Bleeding Nun from the Gothic novel “The Monk,” Medusa’s head, and a midnight visit to a Witches’ Sabbath. The production has received the Dick Balzer Performance Award from the Magic Lantern Society UK.
The outdoor performance takes place from 7 to 8:30pm on the lawn behind the Jacob Hasbrouck House. Seating is limited; organizers encourage visitors to bring camping chairs and blankets. Hot apple cider and coffee will be available for purchase. The program is recommended for ages 13 and older. In case of inclement weather, the show moves to October 25.
