In an era when the movie industry has left no occult phenomenon unexplored, playwright and director David Pinner still believes in the power of imagination. Pinner, award-winning stage veteran and the creative force behind the English-language play All Hallow's Eve, which premieres in Hong Kong on November 27, will attempt to give audiences an old-fashioned fright without gruesome make-up or technological marvels. 'A play is different from a film because it is not about putting everything for everyone on a screen. It's about how it makes you think,' he says. 'I work on subtlety. Don't underestimate the power of the spoken word.'
All Hallow's Eve is a psychological ghost story about a family forced to come to terms with their inner demons. 'Just when you think you've worked out the plot, it's something else.'All Hallow's Eve is the third instalment of what Pinner calls the 'Season' series, a group of four plays he's worked on for several years, with one attributed to each season. The others are Revelation (spring), Midsummer (for summer and a tribute to Shakespeare), and Lady Day (winter). All stem from Pinner's fascination with the occult. 'In my early 20s I wrote my first witchcraft novel, Ritual, and it became a cult movie, The Wicker Man,' he says. 'Ever since then I have wanted to write a stage play that explores various aspects of the supernatural.'
Pinner is undaunted by the smaller population of English-language theatre-goers in Hong Kong. 'It's just as difficult to premiere a play in Britain,' he says. 'I think Hong Kong is a good place to test a play. We have assembled a polyglot cast, with Chinese, American and British actors, and it's something I think will appeal to both Chinese and expat audiences.'
All Hallow's Eve. Nov 27-Dec 8, 8pm. Drama Theatre, Academy for Performing Arts. $$280-360. Ticketek: 3128 8288
