‘A Musical Haunted House’ by Ecstatic Waves
By Sonam Kaloti, Arts Editor
Ecstatic Waves presents A Musical Haunted House—a Halloween-themed concert perfect to set the mood for the spooky holiday. The show is a 30-minute mix of haunted house thrills and soundscapes created solely for this event by Ecstatic Waves, a community of local artists who write and perform new compositions for musical ensembles, dance, and other artistic mediums. Their Haunted House will be a themed adventure narrated by live music, turning Halloween into sound. It boasts landscapes of shadows, the supernatural, and objects coming alive.
The Other Press conducted an interview with Douglas alumnus and Ecstatic Waves member Joel MacKenzie. He went more into detail about the group and this themed musical event. The group was officially started by Chris Blaber with just a few interested musicians with a passion for performing. It quickly gained momentum and became much bigger than initially expected, and the movement continues to grow rapidly. Ecstatic Waves holds shows regularly that showcase pieces written and performed by its members.
The group has been planning the Musical Haunted House for months, especially focusing on perfecting it within the last two months. “We’ve been rehearsing and writing music together for over a year and a half, some of us much longer,” said MacKenzie. “The goal with this concert, as with all of ours, is to connect Lower Mainlanders to the new music and art music scene and show that it can be fun and even exhilarating.”
MacKenzie said that his favourite part of the show is what he has heard composed. “There are no jump scares, but spooky atmospheres […] drawing from the weather, to vaudeville, to current political climates,” he said, and that the “sounds are becoming unhuman, alien, and scary AF.”
Along with MacKenzie, several others from Ecstatic Waves are also Douglas alumni, including the director of the production. Regarding his time Douglas, MacKenzie said, “I studied English at Douglas, and wrote for the Other Press during my time!” He continued with English at SFU, graduating with a major in English and an extended minor in music composition.
“Douglas was a fantastic place to learn. Not too big and intimidating like many schools, and with quality education. My philosophy, humanities, and English studies there formed my thinking into much of what it is today,” he said.
Dates for the Musical Haunted House—located at 207 West Hastings,—run from October 26 through October 28 (Friday to Sunday), with 7, 8, and 9 pm shows. Ticket prices range from $15 for students, seniors, and those with low income, to $20 for general admission.
