400 Years On.. Witch Trials Resume In Pendle!
Monday, 15th August 2011
Charges of witchcraft were leveled again in Pendle on Wednesday…just months before the 400th anniversary of the most famous witch trials in English history.
The courtroom was Barley Village Hall, but these were mock trials…for the judge and accused alike were performers from the soon-to-open Blackpool Tower Dungeon.
The newly assembled cast of Blackpool’s macabre new attraction enjoyed a special team outing today, Wednesday, August 10th, to the scene of one Lancashire history’s darkest chapters.
“I thought it would be great team-building exercise and really help them get into character,” said Dungeon performance director Kieron Smith.
Before launching into rehearsals and some specially tailored role-play, Kieron’s motley crew were given a brief reminder of the grim events of 1612 by colourful local historian Simon Entwistle.
“We nipped up the road so that Simon could regale our actors and actresses, all in full costume of course, in the shadow of Pendle Hill itself,” said Kieron.
Aspiring thespians from across the North West answered an open casting call for the new Dungeon.
The successful candidates include former Canary Islands travel rep’ Rebecca Casey, from Burscough and snare drummer and radio presenter Ellie Jane Murphy from Chorley.
Ballet dancer Christian Brabin from Bolton and Blackburn actor Bruce Jackson, who at age 26, already has 46 different roles in 40 different productions under his belt, have also been recruited, along with 16 others.
These events will be recounted in the new Blackpool Tower Dungeon, but a surprise twist will see visitors themselves condemned and escorted to the gallows – a nerve-shredding drop ride called Extremis.
