Enjoy the ‘Kindred Spirits’ Halloween show at Roane State’s main campus on Saturday

Members of the cast of last year’s version of “Kindred Spirits” perform before a large audience. This year’s performances are at 1 and 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017, in the O’Brien Theatre on Roane State’s main campus in Harriman. (Photo by Roane State)

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

It’s a seasonal extravaganza that promises something for everyone.

It’s the 2017 edition of “Kindred Spirits,” with performances at 1 and 3 p.m. on Saturday, October 28, in the O’Brien Theatre on Roane State’s main campus in Harriman.

There’s drama, dancing, costume parades for all ages, and Halloween trick-or-treating, all rolled up in one fast-paced hour of entertainment, Roane State music professor Brenda Luggie said.

“Kindred Spirits” is a collaboration between the college’s music department, Cumberland County High School’s Jet Theatrix Drama Club, and the Arts in Motion Dance Studios, with locations in Midtown and Rockwood.

Those groups practice their respective parts separately until the day before the show, when they come together for a dress rehearsal.

“It’s one of the most unique performances in Roane County and the surrounding area because of how it combines all of our groups,” Luggie said. What has become a fall tradition premiered in 2011.

There’s a different script each year, written by Jennifer Austin with the dance studio and Angela Robbins at the high school. “Mother Ghost” is their recurring character, and the annual performance centers on her latest exploits.

This year, she has “unexpectedly won some money,” Luggie said, and tours the country looking for a location for a vacation home.

During the performance, Roane State’s Concert Choir and the Celebration Singers are accompanied by the college’s Stage and Jazz bands. More than 70 dancers perform to prerecorded music as part of a 100-member cast.

The audience, especially kids, are invited to wear Halloween costumes and parade around the theatre during intermissions. When the show’s over, cast members come out with candy to give trick-or-treaters.

Admission is $5, and the three groups divvy up the proceeds to help pay for the costs of each organization’s other performances.

Roane State’s share helps pay for the Concert Choir’s annual tour.

For more information, contact Luggie at (865) 354-3000 ext. 4236 or [email protected].

This press release and photo were submitted by Owen Driskill.