SteppingStone Theatre presents Goosebumps: The Phantom of the Auditorium

Do you know any young readers who are hooked on Goosebumps, the bestselling series by R.L. Stine? 

If so, check out this new production of Goosebumps: The Phantom of the Auditorium, coming to the SteppingStone Theatre, 55 Victoria Street N, Saint Paul. SteppingStone Theatre is kicking off their 2017-2018 season with an October 13 – 29 run of this production.

Suggested for families with young people ages 7 – 16 and up, this story is about Brooke and Zeke, who've been cast as the leads in the school’s new production of an old play about a…Phantom. Strange things start disrupting rehearsals and they have to wonder: is this someone’s idea of a joke? Or is the Phantom real? A silly and spooky adventure ensues that will keep the whole family in suspense until the final curtain!

“I love that R.L. Stine often talks about humor and scariness being closely related. I think it's the key to his amazing and enduring popularity. 400 million books sold! He knows something about what grabs our imaginations. We are so excited to be bringing this mystery whodunit to our stage,” commented SteppingStone Theatre Artistic and Executive Director Mark Ferraro-Hauck. "This is a perfect opportunity for parents and teachers to celebrate the joy of reading for pleasure with young people. R.L. Stine understands that for young people overcoming fear, being an outsider, questioning your assumptions are simply part of growing up. They are nothing to run from. Truth be told we could all be reminded of that." 

Director Dane Stauffer adds, "We are having such a great time putting this production together. The cast is wonderful! The joy of doing something new, (this is only the third time this play has been produced) is that we can discover and invent our own twists on the material. The cast is all familiar with the "Goosebumps" series, and the rhythm of R.L.Stine's writing, the cliff-hanger tensions followed by a funny release...until the one that isn't funny!..is really a fun dynamic to play. We're pleased to get on the roller coaster, and are looking forward to bringing the audience along for the ride!”

With book and lyrics by John Maclay, along with music and lyrics by Danny Abosch, this production promises a silly, spooky adventure that will keep the whole family at the edge of their seats.

Opening Night Reception, Friday, October 13

Following the opening night performance, SteppingStone invites all patrons to attend the Opening Night Reception in the Studio at SteppingStone Theatre. Patrons can mix and mingle with the cast and crew of GOOSEBUMPS THE MUSICAL: PHANTOM OF THE AUDITORIUM while enjoying refreshments, courtesy of SteppingStone.

About SteppingStone Theatre

Celebrating its 30th anniversary in the 2017-2018 production season, SteppingStone Theatre has served St. Paul and the East Metro as the premiere performing arts organization for youth. Our child-focused approach, teaming professional teaching artists with youth in collaborative and child-driven creative activity, has distinguished SteppingStone from its peers as we continue to nurture meaningful change for youth, families and schools in the community.

About GOOSEBUMPS®

In July 1992, Scholastic introduced a monthly book series by R.L. Stine called Goosebumps with Goosebumps: Welcome to the Dead House. Nearly Twenty-five years later, Goosebumps is now one of the best-selling children’s series of all-time—with more than 350 million English language books in print, plus an additional 50+ million international copies in print in 22 languages.  The Goosebumps series made R.L. Stine a worldwide publishing celebrity (and Jeopardy answer). Goosebumps, a feature film starring Jack Black, based on the book series by R.L. Stine, was released in theaters on October 16, 2015, and opened at #1 at the box office.