Description

In the days following the 1929 crash of the stock market, on Halloween night, John Hays Hammond Jr. invites a close circle of intimate friends and fellow members of high society to his newly constructed castle for a grand masquerade. Fridays this October, Hammond Castle Museum presents: The Masquerade of Abbadia Mare.

Step back in time and join Hammond?s guests for a Halloween night of terror and the macabre inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Set in the very castle Hammond occupied at the time of the Stock Market Crash of 1929, these heart-pounding stories weave the Hammond household into Poe's The Cask of Amontillado, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar, and Fall of the House of Usher. As you move through this room-to-room theatrical performance, you will hear spine-chilling tales presented by John Hays Hammond Jr himself, Irene Fenton Hammond his wife, Elin Watters their maid, Leslie Buswell their close friend, Leslie Hillman Hammond's loyal butler, and Natalie Hays Hammond Hammond?s sister.

This program was written and directed by the Museum?s former Curatorial Director Scott Cordiner, with an Introduction and Conclusion written by Caleb McMurphy. Beginning on the drawbridge, and leading through multiple rooms in John Hays Hammond Jr?s historical castle home, the program runs just shy of 60 minutes in total. Performances begin at 6 pm and run every 15 minutes through 9 pm. Performances are limited to groups of 12 audience members at a time. Each story is approximately 8 to 10 minutes long. This program is appropriate for children ages 13 years and older. Tickets are $25 each. Venetian Masks and similar attire encouraged.

At the time of this event, the Museum will be closed to tours. If ticket holders wish to tour Hammond Castle Museum on the day of the ticketed performance, Self-Guided Tour tickets may be purchased in the Museum Shop at a 20% discount. Last tours begin at 3pm. Proof of purchase of the Masquerade of Abbadia Mare performance will be required. All proceeds from this program will support the restoration and preservation of the 13th century, French cloister archways which are located at the front of the museum.