Have you been watching the Frodsham Players' eerie ghost story readings?

Beginning this week, and running right up to Christmas, Players will be sharing instalments from three spooky tales on their YouTube channel and social media pages.

"We were wondering what we could do to keep the members active and involved, and to give our audience something to look at," said Chairman, Ian Lancaster.

"Obviously it's very difficult in the current climate that we are having to operate in, but we decided that we could have a look at doing some classic ghost stories.

"We settled on 'The Signalman' by Charles Dickens, 'The Fall of the House of Usher' by Edgar Allen Poe, and 'The Yellow Wallpaper' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

"It's worked really well and there's been a very good response to the opening instalments."

Coordinated by Ian and Carole Shinkfield, who has been directing the readings, the video series has been a great opportunity for the Players to work on a collective project, despite Covid restrictions.

However, social distancing has, of course, posed some extra challenges for the performers this time round.

"Under normal circumstances, somebody would go round everyone and film each reader individually, with the same lighting and general set up," Ian explained.

This time, the group members have produced the videos on their own, clearing their surroundings of the trappings of modern life, digging out suitable costumes from their wardrobes and experimenting with lighting to add to the ghostly atmosphere.

"We've also got the brilliant James Hutchinson, who read the first instalment of 'The Signalman', and who has done all the processing work, giving the videos a title sequence, music, opening and closing music and sound effects," Ian said.

"The sound effects that James has been able to add into the background are very creepy in places! He's done an absolutely fantastic job with it."

Having been forced to cancel their spring and summer shows this year, the Players are hoping that they will be able to resume their regular performances in 2021.

Knowing that indoor productions will probably still be off the cards until later in the new year, they hope to stage two outdoor performances in the spring and summer.

Then, all being well, they might be able to round off the year with a winter show in the community centre.

"We've worked really hard through this year to keep the members involved, and we've done what we can through Zoom. It's been hard work, but we're still going and still out there!" Ian said.

The Players' brilliantly creepy reading of 'The Signalman' will continue tonight (Friday) at around 8pm, with an instalment from Ian himself.

It will conclude on Saturday, and will be followed next week by three episodes of 'The Fall of the House of Usher', and then 'The Yellow Wallpaper', which will conclude on Wednesday 23rd December.

You may have also seen that The Players recently began sharing monologues on their YouTube channel, with the first being performed by David Varley.

Keep an eye out for the next, which is planned for Burns Night, in January!

Follow the Frodsham Players on Facebook to keep up to date with their Ghost Stories series.