A Chilling Ghost Story Takes the Stage at Open Book Theatre Company
The Woman In Black Opens October 30th
TRENTON, MI — Open Book Theatre Company (OBTC) is bringing spine-tingling theatrical magic Downriver this fall with Stephen Mallatratt’s acclaimed stage adaptation of Susan Hill’s ghost story, The Woman in Black. Running from October 30 through November 22, 2026, the psychological thriller offers audiences the ultimate atmospheric autumn outing—just in time for Halloween and Friday the 13th.
The story centers on Arthur Kipps, a man haunted by a dark memory he can no longer bear in silence. To free himself from his past, he enlists a young actor to help him restage his experience at the isolated Eel Marsh House. As the two men work together in an empty theatre, the line between reality and memory blurs, transporting the audience into a world of creeping sea mists, mortal dread, and a mysterious silent specter.
The Woman in Black was originally presented in 2025 by The Penny Seats Theatre Company and is now being remounted for the Open Book stage.
"I saw The Woman in Black last fall, and loved it," says OBTC Artistic Director Krista Schafer. "I
immediately thought about how wonderful it would be in our space, and how much our audience
would enjoy it. It’s a spooky ghost story, but not too spooky. I’m a wimp when it comes to horror
films, and this show provides just the right level of thrills with no gore or jump scares."
Bringing this ghostly tale to life is the powerhouse creative duo of director Josie Eli Herman and
actor Michael Alan Herman, who plays the role of the "Actor" (portraying multiple characters
throughout the story).
The husband-and-wife creative team behind Acorn Arts & Entertainment are well-established experts in the realm of eerie, atmospheric storytelling. Together, they wrote, directed, and produced the award-winning cosmic horror fiction podcast The Call of the Void, as well as the audio drama Liminal. On screen, their gothic horror film House of Ka, an adaptation of Bram Stoker's classic 1903 mummy novel The Jewel of the Seven Stars, delivers vintage supernatural suspense and is available to stream on Amazon Prime.
"We're having an outrageous amount of fun bringing this remount of The Woman in Black to life,"
says director Josie Eli Herman. "With the previous production under our belt, the whole team is
finding more humor, more heart, and more scares. My approach has always been to highlight the joy of theatre and play... play and revelry meets with horror and tragedy. As an audience, we gather together in a dark room to laugh, to cry, to face our fears. And what better time to do so than these dark, chilly months of autumnal majesty!"
The Woman in Black stars Jeffrey Miller as Arthur Kipps, Michael Alan Herman as the Actor, and
Princess Beyonce Jones as the mysterious Woman. For Michael Alan Herman, "performing in the
round is unlike anything I have done before as an actor. It's immersive, dynamic, intimate, and so
powerful. I love being inches away from the audience as all the horrors come to life."
"One of the things I love about it is how theatrical the storytelling is," notes Schafer. "It relies on the
amazing talent of three actors, a few simple set pieces, and the audience’s imagination."
Nearly the entire creative team from the original 2025 production has reunited for the remount, joined by OBTC Resident Lighting Director Harley Miah, who “brings the spooky to this story with his award winnig gift of using light and color to set the mood,” shared Schafer.
The production team also includes scenic design by Aeden Munger, costume design by Josie Eli
Herman, properties design by Kinza Parker, sound design by Joseph Caradonna, assistant direction and fight choreography by Jonathan Davidson, and stage management by Alexa Ducsay.
