Item 01
Live scare staging
Designing and rehearsing scares that work from every seat in the house.
Horror theatre consultancy
There's nothing like a whole auditorium screaming at once. Stage horror happens live, with no second takes, so the scares have to work every night. Dread Works helps theatre-makers stage fear that reaches from the front row to the back.
We work on new writing, adaptations and touring productions, alongside directors, designers and technical teams.
Exhibit list
What we
deliver
Item 02
Stage illusions & reveals
Concepts for appearances, disappearances and impossible moments.
Item 03
Blackout choreography
Using darkness, light and timing to control where the audience looks.
Item 04
Script development
Horror dramaturgy: tension, structure and the slow build to the reveal.
Item 05
Theatre sound design
Surround and localised sound that makes the auditorium part of the haunting.
Item 06
Songs for the stage
Original songs, hymns and rhymes performed within the show.
Procedure
How it
works
- 01
Consult
A free consultation to understand your project, audience, budget and deadline.
- 02
Diagnose
We review your concept, site, script or recording and find where the fear is, and where it isn't.
- 03
Design
Narrative, scares, audio and song, combined in whatever mix your project needs.
- 04
Deliver
Documents, assets, workshops and on-site tuning, right through to opening night or release.
Transcript
Questions
asked
How do you make scares work on stage?
Stage scares rely on misdirection, sight lines, light and sound instead of camera angles. We design each scare to work from every seat, then rehearse the timing with cast and crew until it's consistent.
Do you work with fringe and touring productions?
Yes. We work with fringe companies, touring productions and larger venues, and adapt the scares to each venue's technical limits.
Can you help adapt a horror story for the stage?
Yes. We consult on adapting horror fiction and film for theatre, including which moments to stage, which to suggest and which to leave in the dark.
Final reel
Tell us your
nightmare
Book a free consultation. Tell us what you're making, who it's for and what they should feel. We'll tell you how to make it worse.