Bill Irwin / Photo by Tom Nycz
It’s a new concept in the old tradition. Nyack’s own Bill Irwin is the lead in The Unsilent Picture, an immersive theater experience, which can be seen through Oct 31 in Sleepy. Hollow.
Tony award-winning actor and movie, TV, and stage performer Bill Irwin stars in the film. Historic Hudson Valley produced this new project based on the old Washington Irving short story, “The Adventure of the Mysterious Picture.” The movie is directed by Alex Harvey (Walden: Life in the Woods).
The Unsilent Picture centers around a scientist and his encounter with the supernatural. Irwin plays the role of the man of science, Geoffrey Crayon.
The silent film harkens back to another era when movies were screened with live music to accompany dramatic moments to immerse the audience in suspense and drama. “You don’t get asked often to be part of the making of a silent film,” Irwin said. “It’s an art form, a craft, of the past. If silent story-telling is what keeps you up at night—if you feel like the movies of the ’20s are one of America’s great contributions to world culture—it’s hard to be contained and composed when you hear an homage to the silents is being made.”
“The Unsilent Picture is a ground-breaking event combining live theater, film, music, and art,” said Rob Schweitzer, Vice President, Communications & Commerce for Historic Hudson Valley. The film was shot on location at Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson, NY.
The Unsilent Picture will be shown Fri-Sun during the first three weekends in October (Oct 5-7, Oct 12-14, and Oct 19-21) with addtional screenings during Halloween week, Oct 25-31. Performances times are at 6:15, 7:15, 8:15, and 9:15p . The experience is recommended for ages 10 and up.
Online tickets are $18 and can be purchased at HudsonValley.org, or by calling 914-366-6900 ($2 per ticket surcharge for phone orders and for tickets purchased onsite, if available). Historic Hudson Valley members receive a $5 per ticket discount Philipsburg Manor is at 381 North Broadway (Route 9) in Sleepy Hollow.
See also:
- Bill Irwin Goes Hudson Valley Gothic, The New Yorker 10/22/2018
- Rivertown Gets A Silent Treatment from Irwin, Chaplin, Lloyd 12/15/2011
- Ghost Spotings in Nyack, 6/18/2018
- Bill Irwin, Amazing Grace Circus, 7/31/2009
