by Christopher Alocern

It is almost time for Rogue Festival again–it will be taking place March 6-14 in the Tower District of Fresno. Throughout the month of February we will be publishing many Rogue Festival performer preview articles. This year we have added a special category where you will be able to find all of our Rogue Festival articles. During Rogue we will be reviewing shows as usual, and we also have a Rogue Festival event page with more information!

Victorian Seance Revisited is a theatrical representation of a traditional nineteenth-century seance. I created the show in order to share with the general public what it feels like to be in a traditional seance. The seance as we perceive it today was born in the United States in the 1850s and is an important piece of American history. I attended my first seance with my grandparents when I was five. I’ve been obsessed with them my whole life. Nothing compares to the excitement of a real seance. I have spent hours upon hours studying the traditional seance methods used throughout the nineteenth century. Both myself and my assistance will be dressed in period clothing, and the set will be that of a Victorian parlor. This show is the next best thing to stepping into a time machine and visiting a real Victorian seance.

I came up with the idea for the show after visiting several theatrical seances and realizing that none of them could compare to the actual thing. I wanted to mix theater with genuine Occult practices. Aside from my interest in historical seance, I have spent a lifetime studying the Occult. There are many different Occult arts; in this show I will be demonstrating both Psychometry and Necromancy. Psychometry is the act of detecting spiritual connections between people and objects. This ability will be used as I connect to the spirit world and bring the audience with me. Necromancy is the ability to work with the dead. During the show we will contact the spirits of those passed and see what they have to share with us.

In truth, I can’t say exactly how the show will go. Every attempt to contact the other side is a new adventure. I’ve done seances where things were pretty calm, and others where people freaked out and ran for the door. This show will open the minds of the audience to a world that has been in front of this all along, but they normally can’t access. Some of these things are scary, some funny or strange, but all of it is entertaining.

This show is not for children as the subject matter is macabre and can be, at times, downright frightening. It is for fans of ghost hunting, horror films, and creepy stories. If you have an adventurous spirit and like things that are a little strange, you’ll be right at home with this show.

Performances are at The Revue, 620 E Olive Ave Fresno, CA
Opening night is March 6 at 10 p.m. There are also shows March 7 at 5 p.m., March 8 at 8 p.m., March 12 8:30 p.m., and March 14 at 6:30 p.m. This show doesn’t take late comers. Late comers upset the spirits, so show up early. No one under fifteen permitted, as there is adult content and moments of terror.