About
Psycho Clan, producers of NIGHTMARE, New York’s most horrifying haunted house and AOL CityGuide’s No. 1 rated haunted attraction in NYC have announced that they will expand the sensory assaulting theatre experience THE EXPERIMENT into an off–Broadway run on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. A special holiday version of NIGHTMARE (BEFORE CHRISTMAS): THE EXPERIMENT will run December 9 through December 23, 2011 at Los Kabayitos Laboratorio at the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center, 107 Suffolk Street between Rivington and Delancey.
Studies have shown that the anxiety of the holiday season, coupled with seasonal depression, heightens the neurotransmitters associated with feelings of fear. The Psycho Clan experimental division plans on exploiting those levels of fear for an adrenaline rushing 50 minutes of twisted holiday pleasure, with NIGHTMARE (BEFORE CHRISTMAS): THE EXPERIMENT. The event was originally part of this year’s haunted house as a second attraction, but due to its popularity, has been expanded and will return for a horrifying Christmas spectacular that’s able to amplify what it did in its previous installment and experiment on the whole audience in a terrifying (and entertaining) examination into the limits of fear.
The Experiment takes place in a small lab putting the audience through 10 intense experiments testing a broad range of common fears that people experience. The audience plays the subject in a case study for research on the threshold of fear. Will YOUR limits be hit? The following fears are being examined (in no particular order): The dark, powerlessness, heart-break, paranoia, cruelty, repulsion, dread, under-achievement, humiliation, and pain.
“Christmas is supposed to be a joyful time. For too many, it just isn’t. If you don’t always feel joy during the holidays, a good scare will trigger those senses,” says Co-Director Timothy Haskell. “The same endorphins that are released during moments of joy and pleasure are the same ones coursing through your nervous system during times of great fright. So let fear ignite your holiday spirit!”
Creatives
Timothy Haskell
Timothy Haskell (Creator and Co-Director) recently directed Off-Broadway’s Stitching (The Wild Project and The Elephant in Los Angeles), The Jaded Assassin (Ohio Theatre), Fatal Attraction: A Greek Tragedy<em> starring Corey Feldman at the Classic Stage Company, Corporate Rock (Blue Heron Arts Center) and the Paris Hilton spoof I Love Paris by Doug Fields also at the Blue Heron Arts Center. At 13 months, I Love Paris was one of the longest-running solo shows in Off-Broadway history. He also co-curated and produced the first ever Fight Festival at The Brick Theatre premiering his new work Last Life that later transferred to the Ohio Theatre. He is perhaps best known for creating and directing the cult hit Road House: The Stage Play, which transferred from Off-Off Broadway to Off-Broadway at the Barrow Street Theatre. Mr. Haskell is also the creator and director of the annual Nightmare: New York’s Most Horrifying Haunted House. The most recent installation was Nightmare: Superstitions.
John Harlacher
John Harlacher (Co-director,) is an actor and director. Recent acting work includes the indie feature Love Simple, directed by Mark von Sternberg; Off-Broadway’s Dog Day Afternoon, adapted by Francisco Solorzano; and the revival of Israel Horovitz’s Rats. Both stage productions were produced by The Barefoot Theatre Company, of which he is a member. Directing work includes Cats Can See The Devil,written by Tom X. Chao; the Miami version of Nightmare: Ghost Stories, created by Timothy Haskell and the feature film Urchin, which he also wrote. Released theatrically and distributed worldwide, Urchin was banned in Malaysia as a “threat to culture.”
Candice Thompson
Candice Thompson (Costume Design) is a Brooklyn-based artist, costume and dancewear designer. Her designs for theatre have been featured in venues such as HERE Arts Center, the Ohio Theatre, the Player's Theatre, the 45th Street Theatre, the American Place Theatre, the Brick Theatre, the Crown Point Festival, the NY International Fringe Festival and the Williamstown Theatre Festival and her designs for dance have been seen at such varied companies and places as the New Chamber Ballet at City Center Studios; Laura Peterson Company; Philippa Kaye Company's Humorphous; Milwaukee Ballet company, James Sewell Ballet, ad hoc Ballet, Owen Marks, SUNY Purchase, Harvard and the Rock School for Dance Education. Her leotard designs for LOLAstretch are worn by professional dancers and students in dance companies around the world, including the popular show So You Think You Can Dance?
Justin Haskell
Justin Haskell (Art Direction and Special Effects) is currently attending the Pratt Institute's Fine Arts program with a specialty in painting. This is his sixth year working with NIGHTMARE: NEW YORK'S MOST HORRFYING HAUNTED HOUSE. He heads the art direction department with Aaron Haskell and the Brooklyn Art Department (B.A.D.) team. Under the aegis of B.A.D., he has also done set design, set dressing and been propmaster for theatre productions. He is five feet ten inches with blue eyes and dusty blond hair.
Aaron Haskell
Aaron Haskell (Specialty Props) is one of the NIGHTMARE’s original designers. He started Brooklyn Art Department (B.A.D.) with Aaron Haskell. At B.A.D. he focuses on creating new performance pieces and specialty design for theatre and film. La MaMa is presenting his upcoming show Wake Up, You're Dead, which involves puppetry, dance, and aerial acrobatics in their Puppet Series. It will premiere Halloween 2010. For more on B.A.D. visit BrooklynArtDepartment.com and visit us on Facebook.
Garin Marschall
Garin Marschall (Lighting Design)Mr. Marschall has designed lighting and/or scenery for numerous Off-Broadway and way-off Broadway productions. He has worked with Mr. Haskell and the NIGHTMARE team on houses dating back to 2007. He now works for an architectural lighting firm, ONELUXstudio. Mr. Marschall recommends you check out recently released book/project, Suspicious Anatomy, written by his brother, also a Mr. Marschall.
Paul Smithyman
Paul Smithyman (Scenic Designer) A 15 year veteran of Off-Off, Off Broadway and Broadway. Works as a director, producer, scenic designer and production manager. Resident designer for NIGHTMARE for the past six years. Design credits include Ruin Those Pretty Hands by Carla Sarr, Roadhouse created by Tim Haskell, Illumination Rounds by Josh Liveright, 33 to Nothing by Grant James Varjas, Viva Patshiva by David Jenness, Alternative Methods by Patricia Davis and Last Life by Eric Sanders. Directing credits include Triggers by Gerald Cosgrove & Paul Smithyman, The Memory of Love's Refrain by Brett C. Leonard, Lapis Blue Blood Red by Cathy Caplan, Illumination Rounds by Josh Liveright and Viva Patshiva by David Jenness. Was Co-Artistic Director of The Interart Development Series from 1994-2004 with over 30 productions produced. Has over 100 production credits at Lincoln Center Theater including South Pacific, Coast of Utopia and Contact.
David Hinkle
David Hinkle (Props Head) is a painter, writer and director. After three years working as a scenic painter for Seaside Music Theater, he moved to New York to attend art school. As recent graduate of Pratt Institute he has done set design, and set dressing for theater and film productions. He is a member of Hurt Prone Productions, which produces short experimental films.
David Roy
David Roy (Sound)