GREENFIELD — For those who enjoy listening to a spooky story to tell in the dark or telling their own tale, “The Unexplained” offers an evening full of them.
The annual “The Unexplained” scary storytelling event organized by Local Dirt Productions will be held Thursday at Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show begins at 7:30.
Storytellers include David Bulley, Ben Tousley, Andrea Krawczyk, Lillian Jackman, Orby Wiley, Sera Rivers, Andrea Cohen-Kiener and Richard Ballon.
Local Dirt, a storytelling collective based in Greenfield, was founded in 2018 by Vanessa Cerillo and Cohen-Kiener, two Greenfield residents with a passion for storytelling and an interest in adding to Greenfield’s unique cultural scene. This will be the collective’s second event.
Cerillo and Cohen-Kiener said they started the event to be part of the growing arts scene in Greenfield.
“There are many storytellers from Franklin County that have wild, interesting and entertaining stories,” Cerillo said. “In the spirit of the season, we decided to host a story concert. It’s inspiring to hear people tell a good story.”
Cohen-Kiener said she used to listen to a late-night radio show where people would call in and talk about different themes like predictive dreams or visits from deceased relatives. She noticed how spooky stories seemed to connect people.
“It surprised me that these people all over the country, from all walks of life, experienced something like I did,” Cohen-Kiener said. “I think stories of mystery unite us all. They create a shared reality in those moments.”
The evening will feature stories of encounters with ghosts, a wild man, a message from a dying relative and things that go bump in the night. Psychics will offer readings during intermission.
Following the lineup of storytellers, audience members will have the opportunity to haunt each other with stories of their own in a spooky story swap. All are welcome to share and listen in.
Hawks & Reed will serve specialty drinks including The Smoked and Salted, The Red Queen and Nosferatu Blood Cocktail.
Tickets for “The Unexplained” are $10 in advance, $12 the night of the show. To purchase tickets, visit hawksandreed.com. Proceeds will benefit The Literacy Project.
Reach Melina Bourdeau at 413-772-0261, ext. 263 or mbourdeau@recorder.com.