MCHS, Martin Co. Players bring dark tales to life
“It’s really cool that these are stories from Martin County.” — Corey Shoen, cast member
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FAIRMONT -- The Martin County Historical Society (MCHS) and Martin County Players are bringing history to life for the autumn season and the haunting holiday with the storytelling performances "Dark Tales of Martin County."
The sold-out show will be performed on Friday, Oct. 23 and Saturday, Oct. 24, at the MCHS Pioneer Parsonage House in Fairmont.
The cast, including Christine Bauman, Kaylee Shoen, Corey Shoen, Shawn Shoen, Brady Rosado and Tyler Benschoter, will step into the roles of historical figures and mysteries of Martin County.
"For us, it's like coming home. It's really fun to be back," Corey remarked. "I would say, for me, but I think it's true for all of us, it's really cool that these are stories from Martin County."
The cast will act out four separate interactive dark tales from Martin County history, including the Atz murders, The Legend of the Singing Sisseton Oak, UFO (unidentified flying object) sightings and The Void, in the dining and living spaces in the Pioneer Parsonage House, furnished with candle-adorned, four-seat tables with a four-course meal, catered by Hy-Vee, served to the audience.
"That's been kind of a push of ours lately," added MCHS Curator James Marushin. "With this production and the books that [MCHS Director] Lenny [Tvedten] has done, there's the thought that Martin County is where this sleepy little community is on Interstate 90 that nothing ever happens besides growing crops and maybe an occasional sport, but there's a ton of stories like this and other interesting kinds of things."
The cast will act out four separate interactive dark tales from Martin County history, including the Atz murders, The Legend of the Singing Sisseton Oak, UFO (unidentified flying object) sightings and The Void, in the dining and living spaces in the Pioneer Parsonage House, furnished with candle-adorned, four-seat tables with a four-course meal, catered by Hy-Vee, served to the audience.
"I think it's unique. We're really leaning into the venue and the intimacy that the guests are going to be sitting here and it's going to be the story right in your face," said Marushin.
He said that a storytelling event has been on the MCHS' radar for a long time.
"It's been exciting because some of these stories have been something I've read for 18 years, but to put it out there, to these guys, watch them bring it to life and interpret things and in creative ways has been really fun to see it jump from black and white ink to live color," Marushin shared.
The idea was created by Megan Marushin, a Halloween connoisseur who encouraged an event by MCHS. Citing the successes of the group's previous performances, MCHS Board Member Sue Johnson reached out to the Martin County Players approximately two months ago.
"I was excited right off the bat. It's a great idea," Shawn recounted.
Corey and Bauman wrote the four scripts, two each. "I think we were, all of us, shy about actually starting because none of us have ever, well, really written the scripts before. We had a month of, 'these are great ideas', 'I would do this’, 'I would do that', and we'd help each other too with ideas, and it would evolve that way," Bauman said, regarding how preparations went.
"I've done a lot of creative writing in my life, but this is the first time I’ve ever tackled a play. I found it very fulfilling. It was really fun to just take these little, tiny, constituent pieces, craft a narrative around it and try to make it scary. I like writing horror," Corey explained.
The cast first began rehearsing in early October and has met twice a week since. Rehearsals have been going smoothly. The cast reported that progress is made each rehearsal. The Marushins and MCHS staff have been present at rehearsals to watch and provide feedback to the cast.
"One of the most fun parts was seeing it really flesh out and develop over time and see how, from its infancy, it became so much more, and see how everyone developed their acting. The writing aspects of them were just like building block and building block. I can see this puzzle really coming together," Marushin said.
Looking ahead to the performances, the goal of the cast is to see audience reactions, but also start and keep conversations flowing and provoke interest about Martin County history.
"I hope it brings more awareness or more traffic to the Martin County Historical Society, the website, and all the good resources they have," Kaylee said.
"History is fun, and this is such a multi-generational thing, because you're going to have people who are going to be hearing these stories for the first time. This might be the first exposure to them. Then, you're going to have people who lived here 40, 50, 60 years, who may have heard these stories growing up," Marushin said.
While all 76 tickets are sold out, the four dark tales are four of many in Martin County history. Marushin and the cast said that MCHS and the Martin County Players would be interested in having more historical storytelling performances and events in the future.
"Martin County is chock full of amazing stories, characters and people, and I think there are many different things that can be done to bring some of that to life, and I would love it to be with these guys. They're doing a killer job. This is another interesting way to just keep that history alive in the community," Marushin explained.
The MCHS Pioneer Parsonage House is located at 310 East Blue Earth Avenue in Fairmont. For additional information about the performances, contact MCHS at (507) 235-5178 or visit mchsmn.org/dark-tales-of-martin-county.