By 
By: JULIAN HODGSON
Staff Writer
With Halloween creeping closer, the festivities of the season continue on the IU South Bend campus. A macabre carnival will come to town and kick off the eve of Halloween properly.
The Dark Carnival is a seasonally appropriate special presented by the IUSB Theatre Guild. The donation-driven free event will begin at 6 p.m. on Oct. 30 outside Northside Hall in the courtyard. Performances under the big top tent will begin at 7 p.m.
The event will mark the official return of a student theatre guild to the IUSB campus after about two years of inactivity. The opportunity for involvement in another creative outlet seems to be causing a bit of enthusiasm within the local theatre community. As one could imagine, there is a buzz of excitement and anticipation amongst the members of the recently resurrected thespian collective.
Sophia Zovich, a member of the guild, will be performing as the seductive sword dancer and acrobat.
“We’ve been working on this since about September, and everyone has been doing a lot of hard work,” Zovich said. “I’m really excited for this mainly because I know a lot of these people’s talents.”
The Dark Carnival’s performances will demonstrate a wide variety of disciplines and talents. With an ambiance of a vaudevillian carnival thrill and the twisting of modern and popular themes, the production aims to bring a new perspective to the methods of old-fashioned entertainment.
Brad Pontius, president of the IUSB Theatre Guild, said the carnival will feature a diverse variety of roles, from a tightrope walker, sword dancer and acrobats to clowns, a bearded lady and more.
In addition to the performances, there will also be food available such as popcorn and cotton candy as well as attractions like pumpkin carving and a costume contest that will rally the participation of the audience.
“As of now, we are planning on some free games where you will be able to win tickets and then use those tickets to interact with certain individuals involved in the circus, like a fortune teller where you will be able to exchange these tickets to get your fortune told,” Pontius said.
Overall, Pontius and the group of performers are hoping the carnival will not only raise the Halloween spirit in students, but also awareness for this guild of actors. Students interested in joining future productions are encouraged to contact Pontius or Alex Sadowski, the guild’s vice president.
“We wanted to do our own version of a tribute to show business, with our kind of ‘welcome to campus’ event since we just started a few weeks ago,” said Sadowski, who will be acting as the ring leader in The Dark Carnival. “And we wanted people to learn that the IUSB theatre group is back, and that we are wanting to get involved.”
