I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

— Frank Herbert: DUNE

Eve and Evan are twins roped into yet another desperately dull Halloween by their parents. Managing to break free, they maraud, pumpkin-smash and toilet-paper, inadvertently crossing the thin line between worlds on this night of all nights. They enter a house and meet a demoness who has been lying in wait for just such a pair. A harrowing cat-and-mouse game ensues with the stakes being nothing less than their immortal souls. All Hallows Eve is a tale wrapped up in horror, comedy, and blood… and definitely not for young children.

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SHOW
FROM MARTIN P. ROBINSON

I had a revelation as a kid: Halloween… a day when I was actually encouraged to put on a mask and run around the neighborhood at night screaming like a little maniac. Then I was given candy.

Really, what could be better?…way too much fun for one day of the year.

My life’s path became expanding upon Halloween. I planned my costume months in advance.

I memorized Dick Smith’s “Do It Yourself Monster Makeup” book. I started playing character parts in plays and musicals in school, and eventually managed to get myself to NYC to attend acting school. From acting to puppetry (acting through an object) and working on a lot of other projects, I find myself poised to bring it all together. I have returned full circle to Halloween…

All Hallows Eve…no candy required.

Listen to more excerpts from the show:

WHY PUPPETS?

Whenever I am approaching a theatrical piece, the question that is foremost: How is this story best told? How is this character best portrayed?

As an entrepreneur of puppetry, the answer shouldn’t always be: PUPPETS!

Humans play humans really well…why would I go to all that trouble to re-create humanity?

In this production, puppets play all the otherworldly characters best suited to them…and humans play humans.

BRIEF HISTORY

All Hallows Eve began as a twenty-minute Guest Artist Project for the 2013 National Puppetry Conference at the O’Neill Theater Center. A lot of hard work later, the first version of the entire piece came together during a two-week residency, also at the O’Neill Theater Center, in February 2018 for three performances.

This October production at the Connelly Theater will be its first presentation in New York City.