by Mallory Moad

Blame it on Uncle Joe. Local professor, playwright, and director of spooky spectacles, Maria Coon, credits this beloved family member with inspiring her love of horror literature and films. And just in time for Halloween, Maria will once again be sharing her favorite genre with a part audience-immersive, all scare-the-pants-off-you production, Red Fiend.

This original, supernatural take on the story of Jack the Ripper is the first presentation from Spectral Raven Theatre Company. The newest addition to the Central Valley’s arts and entertainment scene, Spectral Raven is the result of motivation, talent, timing, and luck. As Maria tells it, “Starting my own theatre company has always been a dream of mine. However, this spooky company found me somehow. It just sort of sprouted unexpectedly, like a mysterious plant of exotic origins that bears delicious dark fruit.”

This isn’t the first time Maria has given Fresno audiences the willies. In October 2022, she and her extremely creative cast and crew transformed a hallway in the Fresno City College theatre arts building into Festival of Fright. Based on historical events, this creepy walk-through haunt culminated in a shiver-inducing, three-part stage performance, The Trilogy of Terror. The run was a success, with many sold-out performances.

Understanding the appeal of combining history with hysteria, Maria chose the man who is possibly the most famous serial killer in history as the subject of a project for a graduate course in playwriting. “As a professor of Theatre Literature and History, I have always been fascinated with the Victorian era. The crimes of Jack the Ripper provide a rich set of historical characters from which to build a strong story.”

Maria felt it was important that the piece not be an attempt to solve the mystery of the Ripper’s identity or a glorification of the brutality of his crimes. While the violence depicted is realistic and gory, it is neither gratuitous nor a schlocky attempt to fill seats. “Although this show’s genre is horror realism, this play is also a heartbreaking paranormal journey that explores how the people of Whitechapel were affected by the Ripper, and how such a horrific person could even come to exist in the first place.”

The rehearsal process for Red Fiend has been intense and has included stage combat choreography, ghost storytelling (one of the more intimate activities, frequently involving darkness and candles), dialect work, and improvised scenes (as a technique for character development). Half of the 17-member cast appeared in Festival of Fright and The Trilogy of Terror and are familiar with Maria’s approach to directing. The remainder, instead of becoming intimidated by the unfamiliar, soon came to understand and appreciate her energy, unique methods, and open gratitude for everyone’s hard work. “I adore them all beyond measure,” Maria adds with affection. “They are a wonderfully dedicated company.”

A diverse group, most of Red Fiend’s cast are current or former drama students from Fresno City College, Fresno State, and Fresno Pacific University. For Cameron Warren, currently studying drama at FPU, working in horror is something new. “This is a different and unique process,” he says, “and I’m enjoying it!” FCC student, Crystal Pacheco’s decision to audition was motivated by her participation in The Trilogy of Terror. “But this experience is more gory…and exciting!”

Red Fiend is centered on historical fact, and the characters are based on people who really existed. This gives the actors the benefit of being able to research their roles, gathering information that will shape their performances. In addition to learning about the women they portray, Trinity Garza and Ash Foster delved into the circumstances of the lives of prostitutes during the time of the Ripper. “They were sick and physically abused,” Trinity explains with more than a hint of sadness. “Many of them were dealing with substance abuse and PTSD.” It’s not a pretty picture but under Maria’s leadership, these actors don’t shy away from the truth – they’re embracing it and using it to create a performance that is authentic, sincere, and frightening. “It was important to me to tell the story of those lives he destroyed in an effective, real, empathetic, and honest way,” Maria says.

You can’t effectively tell a story about this notorious murderer without blood, and there will be plenty in Red Fiend. Production Designer, Dominick Callahan has engineered special effects that will take the creep factor to 11 with blood tech devices that, according to Maria, “are sure to leave a bloody impression.” For those who are not faint of heart, reserved seating is available for an up close and personal experience. “Our Crimson Alley seats deliver the terror quite…gushingly. Wearing white is ill-advised…”

Costume Designer Brooke Aiello, is responsible for dressing the four actors who have come to be known, with dark humor, as “the four kills.” She has spent many hours and brain cells concocting ways in which to conceal Domnic’s blood-squirting gizmos inside garments, without interfering with their function. “The challenges have been mostly of the engineering variety,” Brooke explains. “The placement of tubing and blood wells and quick release stab bodices!” She is also faced with another issue: blood stains. With three performances a night, things are going to get messy. Luckily, the residents of Whitechapel who appear in Red Fiend weren’t exactly living large. “Working class and down-and-out Victorian England was pretty grimy and gross, so the hope is a good rinse will get (costumes) back to the rather soiled “normal.” As of this writing, “Laundry tests are still inconclusive” but Brooke remains confident there will be no need for frantic trips to the laundromat between shows. The remainder of the (less blood soaked) costumes are being designed by Jacquie Ford, whom Brooke describes as very talented and exciting to work with.

Red Fiend will take place at the Labyrinth Art Collective, a “black box” venue in Fresno’s Tower District. With only 50 seats, it may seem small by theatrical standards. But it is likely that the closeness of the space and the nearness of the audience to the performers will add to the feeling of the ominous, skin-crawling unease reflected in the story.

Maria Coon, her imaginative work, and her Spectral Raven Theatre Company are a gift to local audiences and actors. Pushing the envelope and thinking outside the box, she challenges formality while delivering productions that, while macabre and disturbing, remain highly entertaining. And of her journey from watching Dark Shadows and Creature Features on Saturday afternoons with Uncle Joe, to running her own independent theatre company, Maria enthusiastically declares, “It’s my nightmare dream come true!”

My name is Mallory Moad and I believe a spooky story is a good story.

Red Fiend is a 40-minute play bookended by walk-through haunts and is appropriate for mature audiences only. For more information, including performance dates and times and how to purchase tickets, visit Spectral Raven Theatre Company on Facebook and Instagram, or spectralraventheatre.com.

Photos are by Junior Nelson

Check out more local entertainment articles in our Arts & Entertainment section. And don’t miss out on Mysteryrat’s Maze Podcast where we feature mystery stories read by local actors!

Mallory Moad is a visual/performance artist, vocalist in the jazz band Scats on The Sly and a proud Central San Joaquin Valley native.