Spirits of the Silent City: Dead Reckoning 2024
Cast and Crew page
CONFIDENTIAL
This page contains proprietary information so please do not share this url. Thank you.
Thank you to everyone who made the 2024 season a huge hit and overflowing with happy guests. Stay tuned for info on the 2025 season.
WELCOME! Hello! Susan Fry here. This page is for the cast and crew of Spirits of the Silent City: Dead Reckoning 2024. It contains propriety information so please do not share the url with anyone.
HAPPY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18TH!
| |||
| form_w9_2024.pdf |
WEATHER forecast for Fri, Oct 18 and Sat, Oct 19
OPTIONS FOR CONTACTING ME (SUSAN)...
EMAil
phone
Call or text Susan at 262-498-5777 - Note: I tend to ignore phone calls but will quickly respond to texts.
CONTACT FORM
This contact form will send a message to my email.
Payroll
This option is now closed and information submitted for the 2024 season has been deleted.
Payroll is scheduled for close of business on October 19, 2024 and you have two options:
1. Paper check
2. Payment directly from our bank to yours. I prefer this option so please consider it.
In order to opt for payment directly to your bank, click the secure lock link and provide your bank routing number and account number. This data is not accessible to anyone but Susan.
Reminder: f you have not returned your MOU and W-9, I cannot pay you until you do regardless of which option you prefer. There is an option on the form, however, to upload your MoU and W-9 - convenient!
Deadline to select direct payment is Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Payroll is scheduled for close of business on October 19, 2024 and you have two options:
1. Paper check
2. Payment directly from our bank to yours. I prefer this option so please consider it.
In order to opt for payment directly to your bank, click the secure lock link and provide your bank routing number and account number. This data is not accessible to anyone but Susan.
Reminder: f you have not returned your MOU and W-9, I cannot pay you until you do regardless of which option you prefer. There is an option on the form, however, to upload your MoU and W-9 - convenient!
Deadline to select direct payment is Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Navigation Quick Links
2024 THEME:
Our 2024 Spirits of the Silent City theme is "Dead Reckoning". This term can be interpreted in a variety of ways....
- Trailblazers: Individuals who navigated by your own star and carved out paths that changed the course of history.
- Unapologetic Reflections: Your reflections now that you are freed from the constraints of your era, sharing insights and truths without reservation.
- Accountability and Legacy: Tales of accountability, where your illustrious historical characters hold themselves and others to account—whether right or wrong.
Allow these possible interpretations to guide your individual character's story. Remember - the purpose of a theme is to create a cohesive guest experience through the stories you tell. You are much more than facts and figures. Your story is how our guests will really get to know who you are (or were....) and a thematic through-line will create an overall immersive experience. It all blends together to make Spirits of the Silent City a hit event.
- Trailblazers: Individuals who navigated by your own star and carved out paths that changed the course of history.
- Unapologetic Reflections: Your reflections now that you are freed from the constraints of your era, sharing insights and truths without reservation.
- Accountability and Legacy: Tales of accountability, where your illustrious historical characters hold themselves and others to account—whether right or wrong.
Allow these possible interpretations to guide your individual character's story. Remember - the purpose of a theme is to create a cohesive guest experience through the stories you tell. You are much more than facts and figures. Your story is how our guests will really get to know who you are (or were....) and a thematic through-line will create an overall immersive experience. It all blends together to make Spirits of the Silent City a hit event.
|
Our worldIn addition to the theme, there is an ethos to and rules for the world we're creating. This ethos guides the scripts and tour route and lighting design. Mostly it comes into being by the characters you 'live' it. You.
There are 4 days a year when the veil between the living and the dead is thin enough for the currently-living to directly and easily interact and the forever-citizens of Forest Home. Our characters are taking full advantage of that. When guides accompany guests out of and back into Victorian Gardens, they are transporting them across the veil. They are enabling them to enter our world. Guides are the gatekeepers. |
Everyone our guests will meet is dead but that's almost beside the point. We all already know that you're dead but the reason guests are here is to share a purposeful journey together.
Characters are dead but this isn't a haunt. It's not a Halloween attraction but it is absolutely even more atmospheric simply by the power of suggestion. Forest Home is inherently spooky. It's mysterious and unknown. There will be guests who are slightly uncomfortable about walking on graves but they aren't given a choice. Their last choice was to enter our world. We're in charge on this side but we're all in it together.
Characters may appear looking any age they like at the moment however they are fully aware of everything that happened during their lives. They are aware of others also buried at Forest Home however they don't know the details of their lives and times. It's as much a voyage of discovery for characters as it is for our guests.
Enjoy the journey.
Characters are dead but this isn't a haunt. It's not a Halloween attraction but it is absolutely even more atmospheric simply by the power of suggestion. Forest Home is inherently spooky. It's mysterious and unknown. There will be guests who are slightly uncomfortable about walking on graves but they aren't given a choice. Their last choice was to enter our world. We're in charge on this side but we're all in it together.
Characters may appear looking any age they like at the moment however they are fully aware of everything that happened during their lives. They are aware of others also buried at Forest Home however they don't know the details of their lives and times. It's as much a voyage of discovery for characters as it is for our guests.
Enjoy the journey.
Preparing to play your part...
Once you are cast you need to accomplish three things...
Your Script....
Creation of your script is a collaborative process beginning with your research. Once you've researched your character, you and Ron will meet to winnow down your character's life to a pithy and hyper-focused 4-5 minute script.
Everyone's script will include the years you were born and died and your cemetery plot numbers. This info is on the timeline - linked here.
Get Costumed....
Your character can be played at any age and actors typically select an age near their personal age in appearance. That helps you narrow down the time period for your costume. You'll work with Deb to create the look that reflects your character and their time period.
It's also chilly out there at night. Deb will make sure you have outer wear and layers that are costume appropriate.
Rehearse....
Most characters are solo so can rehearse one-on-one with Ron on a schedule that's convenient to you both. The duos or trios require more coordination but there's not a pre-set schedule and can also be arranged to fit your individual schedules.
All guides also need to learn the tour route. It will be lit with hanging lanterns on tour nights but it's still possible to get lost unless you know the route too. Learning it during the day will not necessarily enable you to walk it at night either.
Final rehearsals are required by everyone, all at the same time. See the schedule for those details.
- Craft your script - in collaboration with Ron Fry
- Get costumed - by Deb Fabian
- Rehearse - with Ron Fry and Susan Fry
Your Script....
Creation of your script is a collaborative process beginning with your research. Once you've researched your character, you and Ron will meet to winnow down your character's life to a pithy and hyper-focused 4-5 minute script.
Everyone's script will include the years you were born and died and your cemetery plot numbers. This info is on the timeline - linked here.
Get Costumed....
Your character can be played at any age and actors typically select an age near their personal age in appearance. That helps you narrow down the time period for your costume. You'll work with Deb to create the look that reflects your character and their time period.
It's also chilly out there at night. Deb will make sure you have outer wear and layers that are costume appropriate.
Rehearse....
Most characters are solo so can rehearse one-on-one with Ron on a schedule that's convenient to you both. The duos or trios require more coordination but there's not a pre-set schedule and can also be arranged to fit your individual schedules.
All guides also need to learn the tour route. It will be lit with hanging lanterns on tour nights but it's still possible to get lost unless you know the route too. Learning it during the day will not necessarily enable you to walk it at night either.
Final rehearsals are required by everyone, all at the same time. See the schedule for those details.
Dates and times...
TOUR NIGHT GENERAL TIMING INFO - ALL NIGHTS:
- Before 4:00 pm: Crew will arrive and open the Halls of History. Craft services will set up.
- 4:00 pm: Crew begins setting up sets and props
- 4:30 pm: Forest Home security will do a sweep to usher out people visiting the cemetery. If you're on site, watch out for exiting vehicles. They will frequently drive very fast to get to the gate.
- 5:00 pm: Guest entry gate on Lincoln Avenue will open and guests will begin arriving and walking to Victorian Gardens.
- 5:00 pm: Cast and crew are to use the Forest Home Avenue gate, which will be pulled closed at 5:00 pm. It will not be locked, however. If you arrive after 5:00 pm, pull the gate open and then close it behind you. If for some reason it is locked, call or text Susan at 262-498-5777 and I'll send a stage manager over to unlock it ASAP.
- 5:30 pm: Tech crew checks lighting. Fires are lit.
- After the last guests of the last tour go by, crew will begin ferrying on site characters back to HofH and striking sets and props.
CAST CALL TIMES:
On-site characters call time is no later than 5:00 pm. Please allow yourself enough time to get into costume, etc by 5:30.
must start moving to places by 5:30 pm. A golf cart and stage manger will be available to help. Places are 5:45 pm.
After the last guest: On site characters may leave after the last guest from the last tour of the night passes you by.
Guides: call time is 40 minutes before your first tour. You will be called to check in with Susan at Victorian Gardens 10 minutes before your tour steps off.
After your last tour: Guides - after your last tour ends, you are released and may exit via the Lincoln Ave gate. Please be sure to close the gate after you.
Call times are the LATEST you can arrive. Always welcome to arrive earlier. Give yourself time to park and walk to the Halls of History. Your call time is when we need to see your bright, shining faces.
On-site characters call time is no later than 5:00 pm. Please allow yourself enough time to get into costume, etc by 5:30.
must start moving to places by 5:30 pm. A golf cart and stage manger will be available to help. Places are 5:45 pm.
After the last guest: On site characters may leave after the last guest from the last tour of the night passes you by.
Guides: call time is 40 minutes before your first tour. You will be called to check in with Susan at Victorian Gardens 10 minutes before your tour steps off.
After your last tour: Guides - after your last tour ends, you are released and may exit via the Lincoln Ave gate. Please be sure to close the gate after you.
Call times are the LATEST you can arrive. Always welcome to arrive earlier. Give yourself time to park and walk to the Halls of History. Your call time is when we need to see your bright, shining faces.
REHEARSALS: In addition to your one-on-one rehearsals with Ron and learning the route with Susan ...
- Tech rehearsal: Wednesday, October 9 6:00 pm - Character call time for FULL CAST is 4:30 pm at the latest.
- Final dress rehearsal: Thursday, October 10 6:00 pm - Character call time for FULL CAST is 4:30 pm at the latest. Note: We will not have an Alfred Lunt for final dress but we will have a Lynn Fontanne.
Special for Guides:
I HIGHLY suggest you walk the route several times before you do it for the first time in the dark. It's very, very different in the dark and you will get lost otherwise.
I HIGHLY suggest you walk the route several times before you do it for the first time in the dark. It's very, very different in the dark and you will get lost otherwise.
|
TOURS: First tour steps off at 6:00 pm and last tour at 9:30 pm.
7:00 pm on Sat, Oct 19th - Possible ADA tour |
CANCELED TOURS:
Forest Home may opt to cancel a later tour in order to encourage guests to fill the earlier ones. If a tour slot is canceled, it will be shown on the whiteboard. Otherwise, the schedule is below. |
Tour Schedules....
|
This year, the tour schedule will be .... should be.... the same every single night. As of this moment in time, it will be....
|
|
Tours step off from the Victorian Gardens every 15 minutes and should take about 75 minutes to complete. This will give each guide 20-30 minutes for a break before their second tour of the night. Total walking is about .62 miles.
The map...This map is current as of Sept 30-24. It shows the route, character locations and cast and crew support locations - Halls of History, tents and portos. It also shows entrance and parking. Click here or on the image to view the live map.
The tour map was updated on 9-30-24.
|
Guides: I HIGHLY suggest guides walk the route several times before you do it for the first time in the dark. It's very, very different in the dark and you will get lost otherwise.
|
The Crew and Staff ....
Here to support your every need....
|
|
On tour nights...
After setting up our sets, props, lights, fires, food and costumes....
After setting up our sets, props, lights, fires, food and costumes....
- Este, Katy and Charlie will be invisible on the route helping keep the groups moving on time with each other. They will also be checking in with all on site characters to make sure all is well.
- Matt and Captain will be monitoring the fires and making themselves invisible when a tour group is gathered.
- Deb will be in the Halls of History to send the next guide out to check in with Susan.
- Juli and Norma will be in the Halls of History making sure everyone is fed and has lots of snacks and beverages.
- Susan will be in the tent by the Victorian Gardens calling the show.
- Ron will be curled up in a corner in the fetal position in a tequila coma - when he's not on your tour taking notes.
How it Works - Guides
- 40 minutes Call time is at least 40 minutes before your first tour
- Check in with Deb as soon as you arrive
- 10 minutes You will be called 10 minutes before your tour starts
- 8 minutes Check in with Susan in the black tent by Vic Gardens
- Susan will notify House Manager that our next guide is good to go
- 2 minutes It's the House Manager's show: 2 minutes or so before tour time, Leah will let our host, George Wilbur Peck, and your caboose know it's time to gather guests. Leah will gather guests and turn them over to Mr Peck.
- 1 minute When Susan sees guests are gathered, she will send you out.
- If you have an opportunity to meet your caboose, please do so. You are a team.
- Make your way so you're visible to Mr Peck and he will introduce you
- GO! You have your first group interaction and take them away!
Things to keep in mind....
- When you lead guests outside of Vic Gardens, you are crossing the veil and bringing them into our world.
- Your tour must come in around 75 minutes
- After your first tour, you will have 20-30 minutes before you're called for you next. Check in with Deb when you return to HofH.
- Cabooses are there to ensure your guests at the back don't wander off. You and your caboose are a team.
- You may have up to 24 guests in a group. OUTDOOR VOICE. Watch faces. Can they hear you?
- Keep your lantern up by your face when speaking. Find your light.
- If you'd like to chit chat with guests in Vic Gardens before your tour, feel free. Check in with Susan first and make sure the House Manager knows where you are.
- Feel free to chit chat with guests as you walk. They love it.
- Don't stop to chit chat or otherwise slow down unless a stage manager asks you to.
- Portajohns on the tour route are hidden and they are never to be used by guests.
- If a guest has any kind of problem, leave them to the caboose to care for. You keep going.
- If you need to slow down (in case you're about to lap the group in front of you) or speed up (in case the group behind you is about to lap you), a stage manager will let you know. The system is easy. They walk up to you and politely ask you to speed up or slow down.
- Position your guests so their backs are to their last stop
- Your first tour on our first night is not a dress rehearsal where you get your timing down.
- There are 5 stage managers out there keeping an eye out for anything. They are in constant communication with Susan.
- Total walking is about .7 miles. 12 stops and 15 characters.
- When you bring your guests back to Vic Gardens, you are crossing the veil to return them to their world.
- If they tip you, keep it.
- At the end of your last tour, you may leave whenever you like. Exit the back door and drive off via the Forest Home Ave gate.
The Cast .... On site characters in order
The Cast ... Guides
Timeline for all charactersOur historical characters all lived and died and it's interesting to see who's contemporary to whom - how long or how short one lived - and to marvel at home much each of you accomplished during your short time alive. The IMAGE will take you to the full timeline sheet. This also shows your burial location.
|
|
10-22-23...
Thank you all for a memorable run. There were so many heartfelt moments...
The little girl who told her Mom after meeting Mathilde Anneke, "I want to grow up to be just like her."
The guest returning to Vic Gardens tapping Lydia Docenia Ely on the shoulder to say, "Thank you for all you did for our soldiers. You have no idea how much you've done and how much we appreciate it."
The gentleman who stepped to the back of the tour to shake Clementina Castro's hand and tell her, "Thank you so much for bring Clementina Castro to life. I had no idea she would be here on the tour. She's so important and we talk about her all of the time," and then went on to introduce himself as the President and CEO of LaCausa.
The boy to Increase Lapham, "You're my favorite scientist!"
The family who interred their mother that morning then bought 10 tickets for that night and had an amazing time thanks in large part to Beulah Brinton, "Oh, yes! Your mother! Lovely woman. Well, don't worry, I'll make sure she makes it to all the meetings and is introduced to all the best people," to which they responded with their deepest thanks.
And those are just some of the ones I heard about.
On behalf of Ron, Este, Alex, Matt, Captain, Deb, Juli and myself, Thank You.
Thank you all for a memorable run. There were so many heartfelt moments...
The little girl who told her Mom after meeting Mathilde Anneke, "I want to grow up to be just like her."
The guest returning to Vic Gardens tapping Lydia Docenia Ely on the shoulder to say, "Thank you for all you did for our soldiers. You have no idea how much you've done and how much we appreciate it."
The gentleman who stepped to the back of the tour to shake Clementina Castro's hand and tell her, "Thank you so much for bring Clementina Castro to life. I had no idea she would be here on the tour. She's so important and we talk about her all of the time," and then went on to introduce himself as the President and CEO of LaCausa.
The boy to Increase Lapham, "You're my favorite scientist!"
The family who interred their mother that morning then bought 10 tickets for that night and had an amazing time thanks in large part to Beulah Brinton, "Oh, yes! Your mother! Lovely woman. Well, don't worry, I'll make sure she makes it to all the meetings and is introduced to all the best people," to which they responded with their deepest thanks.
And those are just some of the ones I heard about.
On behalf of Ron, Este, Alex, Matt, Captain, Deb, Juli and myself, Thank You.