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Home > Archive > Oct 11, 2007

Dead ‘Come to Life’ in Ghost Tours
By Cami Cox
Staff Writer
What should one do when confronted by a ghost? Dixie residents will soon have the answer – straight from the ghost's mouth!
From a tormented violin thief to a deceased but diligent dairyman, a haunting lineup of posthumous specters will soon bring the dead to life in St. George Musical Theater's “Ghost Tours,” Oct. 18 - 31. Those still-living visitors who come to meet the ghostly entertainers can get up-close-and-personal with these departed spirits as Ghost Tours winds through historic downtown Santa Clara.
“We try to have a variety of stories that would appeal to different age groups,” said Gary Payne, Ghost Tours creator, director, writer and producer. “The parents can be assured. What it's not is fright alley – we don't chop off heads and stab people. It's a little more sophisticated, Halloween-type activity.”
Not a spook alley or a haunted house, Ghost Tours rather gives a group of fictional ghosts a voice in the land of the living, creatively answering the who, why and what-if of ghostly behavior.
Six ghost stories in all will make up the trail of terror and chain of chills along the Ghost Tours route, as the spooky specters at each stop act out their solemn stories for the audience members. The tales vary, from the story of a woman who makes a dastardly bargain with the devil to obtain a new pair of shoes to the “real” story of how Smoky Bear came to be. Each story has depth and a message, and there are some twists and surprises to keep spectators riveted, Payne said.
Ghost Tours is not intended as a historical experience, he said, but the guides will give some factual and historical background of buildings and other sites in Santa Clara as the tour progresses. The stories told by the actors are intended for entertainment and aren't historically accurate, but they do relate to the area and are tied to landmarks and historic happenings in Santa Clara, he said.
Payne brought Ghost Tours to St. George three years ago, adapted from a similar concept he had been involved with in California. This is the first year the tours have been located in Santa Clara, he said – in previous years, St. George has played host to the ghosts.
In many other places, Payne said, ghost tours consist merely of spectators riding on a bus through a historical area while a tour guide tells them about ghostly happenings. SGMT's Ghost Tours are much more fun and interactive for the audience, he said.
“It is theater,” he said. “We call it street theater.”
Frequent St. George Musical Theater patrons will see some familiar faces along the Ghost Tours route, he said, as the actors are all regular SGMT performers.
New to Ghost Tours this year will be a 10-minute intermission and rest stop, taking place at Grandma Tobler's Bakery in Santa Clara. Audience members can stop there for goodies and a rest, and members of local 4-H chapters will also be on hand with items that Ghost Tour participants can peruse and purchase.
Ghost Tours is family appropriate, Payne said, and there is fun to be had for audience members of all ages.
“Five to 95 we always say. As long as they can walk a mile for an hour, anybody would enjoy it,” he said. “They will really have a fun time.”
“It's something that they (the audience) have never experienced before, most likely,” he said. “Typical theater is love and redemption and forgiveness and responsibility. In the stories there are good lessons, and it is a fun way to learn a little history of an area. Our guides do tell the truth – the ghosts don't, necessarily!”
Historically, hauntings are associated with departed spirits being trapped in specific locations due to unfinished business or traumatic events, Payne said. These ghostly occupations are characterized by such unexplained phenomena as rattling noises, the mysterious opening and closing of doors and sensations of cold.
“That's the extent of it – nobody ever knows why,” Payne said. “Why are they attached to this location or why are they making noises and things like that? That's what the ghosts try and answer, is why they do these things. They have to accomplish something in this dimension before they can move on to somewhere else.”
Ghost Tours will take place Oct. 18-20, 24-27, 29 and 30 and will begin nightly at 7:30 p.m., concluding with the final tour at 9:30 p.m. New tours will set off every 15 minutes from the back parking lot of the LDS chapel at 3040 W. Santa Clara Dr. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and children 12 and older and $6 for children 11 and younger. Group rates are $6 per person for groups of 10 or more.
It is recommended that audience members bring flashlights, according to information from St. George Musical Theater, and baby strollers are discouraged due to stairs along the route.
Tickets for Ghost Tours can be purchased on site, or reservations can be made by calling St. George Musical Theater at 628-8755,

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