This year, Halloween won't be the scariest day of the fall. According to the Real People Players, the real chills begin Nov. 2 when voters drop their ballots.
The local theater troupe will host the Real People Zone - six original sketches about politics from a working-class perspective - at 7:30 p.m. today at Creole Gallery, 1218 Turner St., in Lansing's Old Town.
The hour-long show will combine Halloween themes with political issues that concern a "blue- collar" audience. Topics include: Disenfranchised voters, environmental justice and the war in Iraq.
"We're taking the angle that this election is a lot scarier than Halloween," said Tim Bogar, the director and co-founder of Real People Players. "We're playing off of the real fear that many working-class people are feeling this election and combining it with humor and drama."
Bogar said that the show will knit scenes in a "Twilight Zone-esque," back-to-back fashion.
Featured scenes include angels and devils sorting out souls killed in the Iraq war and a black man registering to vote in early, '60s Alabama.
"We're doing this all from a union perspective," Bogar said, adding that the three members of Real People Players are from labor union groups. "There's not a whole bunch of playwrights with experience in plants and factories."
The Real People Zone will star Real People Players Bogar, Winston Williams and Marilyn Coulter along with Colin Parks, Michael McFadden, Meredith Sharp and former Icarus Falling theater actor Markitwia Jackson.
Williams, a Real People Players co-founder, said the show will be the largest and most exciting the 14-month-old troupe has performed.
"You look at television and movies and think, 'Heck, I could do better than this,'" Williams said. "So we took it upon ourselves to get the issues out on our own."
Bogar, who co-wrote the play's script with Williams, said theatrical performances have more impact on people in comparison to lectures. He said, too often, speeches and news coverage consumes voters during the election season.
"This is a way to have some impact and motivate people to understand the issues that surround their local community," he said.
Williams said he hopes people get something out of the play that will help them make an informed decision on Nov. 2.
"People need to take this election seriously," Williams said. "People are going to leave this play asking, 'Do I really know why I'm voting? Do I really know what's going on?' and will hopefully have a better understanding from working peoples' states of mind."
Tickets are $5 at the door.
For more information, contact Tim Bogar at (517) 484-7408 or (517) 372-4141.
