.
The Cast

Lynton V. Harris makes no secret of the fact that scenery, lighting, effects, music and scripts are all important parts of his shows, yet, the mortar that cements all these elements together is the cast of actors, 14 of them, all with varying backgrounds, yet all going through the same 40-hour programme of training.

Ghosts Alive is in its third season now, and while certain aspects have been tightened up over the years as the show becomes more established, the auditions as well as the ‘Scare School’ remain pivotal to their success.

Scare School is advertised in the theatrical trade magazine The Stage as well as other publications before auditions are held over the course of three days.

The London auditions this year took place at Pineapple Dance Studios in Covent Garden, with the auditions – in London and Warwick itself – attracting around 80 interested people, which had to be whittled down to just 14.

Most of the cast are on a three-month contract that seems to be the standard for actors, although many stay on for the full run of six months, with a few returning from year-to-year.

Unlike many of these attractions, with a historical background it is important that scripts are followed on Ghosts Alive. Every move, every sentence spoken, and every scare is choreographed.

There are three roles to play. Males play the role of either Sir Fulke Greville who was the Earl of Warwick, as well as his ungrateful manservant, Ralph Heywood. The ladies, meanwhile, play either the host on the landing steps prior to entry, or the Narrator Host, whose job it is to guide the public through the front door to the exit. The males can also play these roles from time to time.

Almost all the actors have a theatrical background. Most have studied drama at either college or university, and many have gone on to perform in theatre, films, television dramas, and some appearing in music videos.

While Ghosts Alive sticks to all the same disciplines as normal theatre, it is completely different to anything any of the cast have performed in before. To reflect this, every actor goes through the Lynton V. Harris Scare School, a 40-hour course which covers every aspect of performing in Lynton’s attractions.

Much of the course is theory, with the cast learning about what makes a good scare actor (clue: it’s more than just scaring people), how best to scare people (clue: they don’t do boo) and how to perform to hundreds of people who will never ever applaud you. (clue: screaming, and leaving before the end; wet pants are the applause!)

The practical part of the course has the cast learning the unique style of acting required for Ghosts Alive, and also how best to get scares out of people.

It goes beyond this, though, and also covers how the audience react, how to deal with this, and also gives the opportunity for actors to learn their lines and do walk throughs of the final attraction.

We caught up with a few of the actors to find out more.

George plays Fulke, seen in costume at the bottom

Name: George

Location: North London

Role: Fulke

History: I’ve studied Drama at University, and have been involved with Lynton’s productions before. The first time I met him was for Chamber Live at Madame Tussaud’s in London where I played Jack the Ripper. I’ve also done some voiceover work for television.

Scare School and Ghosts Alive: This is my fourth season of Ghosts Alive, although this year I am only covering one weekend. Returners normally go through Scare School every season – it’s a bonding thing, as well as being educational, and is a good opportunity to meet other actors.

I did the whole of the first year, and the summer of the second year. Since the first year it is a lot more professional. For example there wasn’t the stage for the waxwork in the first room in the first year so people were poking the waxwork and the actor saying “how come this one [the waxwork] is hard and this one [the actor] is soft?” while you are trying to stand still like a statue.

This year I am just covering for the weekend, although it is my fourth season. I am staying at my parents who live nearby, so it is quite convenient.

Funny Stories: It’s funny to see how different nationalities react. The French are hyperactive, while the Japanese seem to have no sense of balance, and often end up on the floor!

In Chamber Live, though, I made some woman wet herself. I didn’t say much, you know, “ello darling”, and saw that she was there for ages, so I went and asked her and her friend whether she was OK, and she said “I’ve just pissed myself!” Continues...