Shining a spotlight on collaboration, the Mid-Valley Theatre Network presents Evil Dead: The Musical, a show that has “garnered a cult following and promises an electrifying experience.”
For those who may not be familiar with its origin Evil Dead: The Musical is a stage production that combines parts of three classic films, The Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, and Army of Darkness, into a theatrical experience — a crazy, funny, bloody theatrical experience.
Co-director Jeremy Clubb was hoping to see the show in Portland post-Covid. When he realized he wasn’t going to get the chance, he decided to do something about it — produce it locally.
No stranger to the stage, Jeremy has been involved in theater in the area for about 20 years.
He pitched the idea of producing the show in Salem to the Mid-Valley Theatre Network, a collection of our local theaters that works together to promote each other and the crafts of the stage. After a year of planning, hard work and patience is paying off.
“Every time I imagined it, it just kept getting bigger. What if we collaborated? All the pieces would be amazing. Every theater has their special talents and I want to be able to highlight those,” Jeremy said. “Another advantage of doing it as a collaborative piece, each theater has their brand or general themes…this is a way for them to break out a little bit.”
A project manager by trade, taking on a show like this was not outside Jeremy’s wheelhouse. The skills are transferable, but it’s been a memorable learning experience putting all the pieces together. One specific stand out moment was the first production meeting, said Jeremy. “Watching the spark of everyone getting so excited was a fabulous moment for me.”
Beyond wanting to see it himself, Jeremy picked this show because it is so forgiving. “It’s known for its imperfections,” he said. Imperfections…and bad jokes, cheesy effects and gratuitous amounts of fake blood.
“It has a cult following. People will fly out to different locations just to see it put on.”
Lucky for you, Salem, you don’t have to fly anywhere. But don’t wait long to secure your tickets or you may not have your chance at the splatter zone.*
* The Splatter Zone is 50 seats at the front of the stage where you (most definitely) will get splattered in blood, so dress accordingly.
PS: It also has some amazing talent involved, such as make-up artists Vicki Woods and Scott Ramp, plus the cast…“We have some amazing talent. I got goosebumps just from listening to the auditions,” Jeremy said.
Meet the Cast
- Jacob Fritts as Ash
- Deysha Williams as Linda
- Kristin Barrett as Cheryl
- Thya Robinson as Scott
- Sara Wright as Shelly
- Chelsea Janzen Williams as Annie
- Jeremy Clifton as Ed
- Jake Rice as Jake
- Vincent Turner as Shemp 1
- Jackie Roche as Shemp 2
Evil Dead: The Musical
When: 7:30 p.m. October 24, 25, 26, 31 and Nov 1-2 and 2 p.m. Nov 3
Where: Chemeketa Community College Auditorium
Cost: $20 non-splatter section; $35 splatter section
Tickets: dothenecronomicon.com
Note: There will be ASL interpreters at Friday shows.