KCRep hosts 4th annual Ghost Light evening of songs and stories from KC’s cultural crossroads

Jass Couch performing at Ghost Light // photo by Don Ipock

The Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s Ghost Light: A Haunted Night of Songs and Stories From KC’s Cultural Crossroads returned for its fourth year for two nights of music and ghost stories last weekend.

Ghost Light began as a COVID-safe event in 2020 and was held outside of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in its first and second years but shifted to Roanoke Park in its third iteration last year.

Roanoke Park is a perfect setting for such an event. I recall taking my teenage siblings and their friends there one evening last year, and as it got dark and we were the only people there, we began to feel uneasy—even me, who was supposed to be the responsible adult. The twisted branches of the trees taunt you as if they might reach out and grab you, pulling you into the woods never to be seen again, and their leaves shroud the park in darkness, the sole light emanating from the lampposts. Paired with the brick roads that wind through the park, it looks like a ghost hangout spot.

The park was well-lit on this night, but it still provided an excellent background. The Halloween-themed stage was set up near the playground, with Roman candles lining the stage floor, orange lights draping the stage, and a purple backlight behind the stage. 

It was a cold and rainy Saturday, which added to the ghostly setting of the event terrifically—thankfully, I’d had the foresight to wear plenty of layers, and the ground dried enough to lay out a blanket for my sister and me to stretch out on, among a gathering of attendees doing the same or relaxing in lawn chairs. Paired with a glass of red wine from the City Barrel Brewing tent, it was a laid-back fall eve. Several food trucks were also in attendance, including Taco Republic and One More Scoop.

Three ghost stories were told during the production, with all three involving trees to some degree. The storytelling began with “The Woods,” a rhyming poem written by middle schooler Alex Serrano Leiva and read by UMKC MFA student Nico Holguin. This spooky poem tells of a haunted forest, its rhythm matched with Holguin’s voice, setting an eerie vibe that set the tone for the rest of the stories. It held up among the award-winning writers that followed.

Seasoned writer and poet laureate Glenn North took the stage with his story, “The Hidden History of the Trees.” The plot entailed a Black man’s hatred of trees that began with seeing a photo of a lynching as a child and his harrowing supernatural experience with trees that led him to accept his Blackness. With North’s warmth comparable to Morgan Freeman’s, this was a ghost story with a poignant message.

The third and final story, “Harmonias,” was written and read by poet Mary Silwance, with sound effects provided by musician Amado Espinoza. This story pivoted further toward fantasy, its subject being the origin of the screams of cicadas, and ended on a creepier note than the preceding story. Though well-written, the fantastical elements could be difficult to follow at times. But Espinoza’s sound effects and Silwance’s dramatic delivery sent chills down my spine, making a frigid evening even colder.

The performance entailed four music sets, opening an acoustic track from Arts as Youth mentorship musician J Burch. Singer-songwriter and pianist Julia Othmer and singer and multi-instrumentalist Jass Couch each played three songs for the crowd between stories.

The night’s musical highlight was the psychedelic soul group Black Light Animals, which closed the event with four indie-synth-pop-tinged songs. 

Being a family-friendly affair, this isn’t the type of event to go to if you’re looking to be frightened to the point of being unable to sleep that night. The music and stories didn’t necessarily go together, which would have made for a more captivating experience. Overall, the talent of the performers was outstanding, and it was a chill(y) night for music and stories in Roanoke Park.