Las Vegas Weekly

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If you’ve lived in Las Vegas awhile and are at all a fan of the theater, you probably know that seeing the name Breon Jenay on something means it’s going to be decent. Add to this the line “this show contains nudity and disturbing subject matter,” and it would be absurd to try to resist. The diminutive Jenay rarely disappoints, so it’s likely Fearophilia, her latest effort with Dave Surratt, will deliver the creep it promises. Their company, Brave Theatrics, brings us this production of six short original plays written in celebration of Halloween.

All of the works are the fruits of a summer writing competition. Surratt explains, “After reading and re-reading several dozen scripts, we picked a diverse handful that nail the psychological thrust we’re going for.” The company was searching for the riveting and creepy in the submissions, avoiding the horror-movie gore we tend to think of when we think of Halloween. “These are the scripts that can unsettle a horror audience on multiple levels,” he continues.

Based on the quality of even the plays that were rejected, it’s a safe bet anyone who attends the event will leave shaking like a little dog. But given ambiguous titles like Unclaimed Baggage and Lucy’s Invite, it’s hard to know what to expect, which admittedly can be the best way to frighten. Fearophilia’s twist on the standard might be what makes it fantastic, calling for solid performances and giving audience members good reason to be afraid of the dark.