Right on schedule: Barnaby Castle on Broadway has gotten all spookified for the upcoming holiday. In the past, the owners have hosted a spectacular Halloween event, raising money for the ongoing restoration of this monstrous pile, but . . . Covid. So what is happening?
The party is off, so this year the mansion got turned into a movie set, and this Saturday you will be able to download “Tales from the Castle” for $25. Not surprisingly, Motif RI editor Mike Ryan has been involved. Ryan has been one of the prime movers in the local movie-making scene for decades with all the connections and know-how needed to pull this together. He has the backstory of the movie at Motif Magazine, as the party planners tried their hand at something new:
“We’ve never been involved in something like this — but there are so many talented people around Providence who have, and who are generous with their time, volunteering to help restore this historic site,” says [Kaitlyn] Frolich. The concept pays homage to anthologies like “Tales from the Crypt,” with Frolich herself in the role of grande dame / narrator / party hostess. All the shorts — there will be six or seven — are written by local authors and will be shot during September and October in the Castle. Local actors and filmmakers will be operating on a skeleton-crew basis in honor of quarantine. The whole project is a joint venture involving Barnaby Castle and its residents, the Spectrum Theater Ensemble, Red Fork Empire, Death Drop Gorgeous Films, Motif magazine and New York’s Venezuelan Film Festival, among others.
Ryan adds this note, “All participants are working for free.”
The Castle is kittycorner to Julian’s which has well-spaced tables out on the sidewalk.
Barnaby Castle, 299 Broadway, (directions)
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I really liked the windows on the side. Nice touch.
