New Theater Company Debuts With ‘Ghost Story’ At The 204: Capeness Arts And Spectacle Aims To Be Theatrical Incubator

HARWICH – There’s a new theater company based at The 204 Cultural Arts Municipal Building that aims to bring a new level of creativity to the local stage. For its premiere piece, “Capeness Arts And Spectacle” has chosen “Ghost Story,” a spine-tingling, immersive adaptation of Henry James’ “The Turn of the Screw,” opening Oct. 9.

 It’s a suitably mysterious inaugural production for the new Harwich-based theater company founded by Tristan DiVincenzo, a Harwich resident and accomplished theater professional. Dubbed “Capeness” in homage to the mysterious Loch Ness, the company aims to be a new spin on local theater by serving as a resource for young and emerging artists, DiVincenzo said.

 “It’s very exciting for a young group of artists to feel like they’re starting something, to give them visibility and license to create art instead of the individual having to fit into what might be run by an organization that has sort of done things, and planned seasons, in the same way for years and years and years,” he said. “It’s a completely opposite way of producing.”

 Making possible that new model is Capeness’ home base: The 204. The town’s cultural center at 204 Sisson Rd. is home to a newly renovated auditorium that can seat over 300 people. And the town’s cultural affairs director, Kara Mewhinney, has been incredibly helpful, DiVincenzo said.

 “Kara’s very excited,” he said. “She’s opened the calendar for us.” And that starts with “Ghost Story,” which runs from Oct. 9 to 25, the perfect lead-in to the Halloween season.

 “It’s the grandmother of all modern ghost stories,” and has been adapted to hundreds of TV, film and theater productions since it was published as a novella in 1898. Dubbed “a total sensory encounter, part classic theater, part ritual seance,” the adaptation makes use of an immersive soundscape delivered through high-definition acoustics and an audio design that “channels the disorienting atmosphere of contemporary psychological horror and classic science fiction cinema.” 

Directed and designed by DiVincenzo, the movement-based production features performances by Em Entwisle, Steph DeFerie, Julie Seeley, Zoey MacBride and Matt Gardner and a large ensemble. It explores the tale of a young governess who is charged with caring for two orphaned children in an isolated country estate. But as spectral figures materialize from the shadows, she is pulled into a spiraling battle of wills, protecting the children from forces she cannot name — or perhaps from her own unraveling mind.

 Ghost story is the first of what DiVincenzo plans to be a season of between three and five shows each year at the 204. Some of DiVincenzo’s other recent productions include “Wonderland” at the Pilgrim Congregational Church, “A Christmas Carol” as part of the chamber of commerce’s Christmas in Harwich celebration in Harwich Center, “Finding Nemo” and “School of Rock” at Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Junior Theatre. DiVincenzo has admittedly been “theater hopping” across the Cape in search of the right venue, and found it in The 204, he said.

 “Our focus is more about what we can bring to The 204 than what The 204 is bringing for us,” he said. “It’s a cultural hub.” 

He admits that, like many people, he drove past the former Harwich Middle School many times before exploring it and found a vibrant community of artists working in all kinds of media. He and Mewhinney agreed that it would be a great home for Capeness and its unique mission.

 Driven by the need to generate revenue, most local theaters are focused on locking in a season of productions, a model that can discourage young creators looking for space to try out new ideas.

 “Capeness is about inspiring wonder in our daily lives, and using alternative spaces to create disruption within our daily lives to have us stop and be in amazement of this beautiful place that we live,” DiVincenzo said.

 The theater company is already in pre-production for its next show: “Christmas Carol by Candlelight.” It’s a classic telling of the Dickens tale, done with hundreds of LED candles and lanterns. There’s also a plan for a pop-up concert series designed to coincide with All Souls Day on Nov. 2. 

 “Our demographic is really, really wide,” DiVincenzo said. The goal is to create work that has a new, young energy, bringing in theater and musical professionals from outside the local area, he added.