Spooks Haunts PACA With Ghosts of Erie's Past

M. Harrison Photography

Ghosts, priests, family secrets, and wild dogs. Spooks, continuing for the following two weekends at PACA, is an exciting and hilarious romp all about Erie.

CONTINUING FRIDAY, APR. 28

The Performing Artists Collective Alliance (PACA) is offering an evening to rewind time through Erie history, laugh at hilarious dialog, and be haunted by the ghosts of the past. Spooks is a comedic fiction performance, loosely based on real-life events. The play is set in Erie in the year 1986, and there is something frightening in the air. A pack of dogs terrorizes the lower east side while the Skowronski sisters encounter strange experiences in their home on Steam Alley. A priest mistakenly releases a haunting presence into the Skowronski home. The question is: who is this presence and what horrible family secret will be exposed?

The production of Spooks was originally produced by the Roadhouse Theater for Contemporary Art, a locally established theater which opened in 1995 (and closed in 2007). When Spooks was performed at the Roadhouse Theater, it was directed by Scott McClelland and was performed over 100 times. Tying in the heritage of this play, Bob Dombrowski, a local actor, is the only person to have appeared in every single production of Spooks. In the current running of this deep-rooted production, Dombrowski appears yet again, playing the narrator.

Spooks was written by Richard Boler and is directed by Richard Davis. The play features Bob Dombrowski, Coreen Scott, Teresa Testrake, Jacilyn Snyder, Betsy Butoryak, Wayne Gardner, and Linda Kemp. 

Artistic Director of the Erie Playhouse and Guest Director at PACA of Spooks, Richard Davis stated, "One of the charms of Spooks is not only that it is set in Erie, but that you don't have to be Polish to appreciate it. Many people, myself included, see much of their own family in the Skowronski sisters. The play is both funny and heartwarming."

The show will be running for three weekends with eight separate performances at PACA. For more information and to stay up to date on all PACA events visit paca1505.org or follow their Instagram @PACA1505.

**Note that this performance is family-friendly besides some mildly adult language**

Fridays and Saturdays through May 6, 7 p.m., Sundays through May 7, 1:30 p.m. // PACA, 1505 State St. // $16 // For tickets and information: paca1505.org