From October 11th to October 20th, 2024, Henry County’s community theater group, The Henry Players, performed “Evil Dead: The Musical.” Adapted from the first three “Evil Dead” films (“Evil Dead,” “Evil Dead II,” and “Army of Darkness”), this musical keeps the essence of the trilogy while still having a unique voice. 

The “Evil Dead” franchise is a cult classic, known for its theatrical cinematography, over-the-top dialogue, and overall campy atmosphere. It follows four college students who take a trip to the woods, only for it to unleash a disastrous evil among them. While the musical is a lighthearted comedy, it is still needlessly bloody and exaggeratedly fun, sticking true to the personality of the film series. The movies play into horror tropes while the musical pokes fun at them; they are different sides of the same coin. 

Directed by Jack Mackim and Ryan Young, The Henry Players did both the musical and film series justice. It’s an understatement to say that The Henry Player’s rendition of “Evil Dead: The Musical” is an immersive experience. Rather, their performance completely dissolves the barrier between the audience and the stage, and viewers are left just as bloody as the victims ten feet in front of them. The show was unforgettable and completely mesmerizing, an enthralling experience that makes you want to come back for more. 

They incorporated the signature “splatter zone,” which is typically available in all productions of “Evil Dead: The Musical.” The first three rows were covered in trash bags and audience members who sat in this section were offered ponchos. Whenever a demon was slaughtered on stage, members of the stage crew would spray the viewers with fake blood. 

“We used lots of different things [for the blood],” Jordan M., a high school senior and member of the stage crew, said. Jordan is very active with The Henry Players, having worked on multiple shows with them such as “A Chorus Line.”  “Opening night, it was dyed water. Then we switched to water, cocoa powder, and red food coloring. Then we switched to red velvet cake mix and water and we added in actual fake blood with the cake mix.” 

With a strong lead cast, the show stood its ground. The main ensemble consisted of actors Walker Davis, Bennet Abara, Chelsi Jump, Sebastian Rose, Liandrin Williams, James Brooks, and Barry Gilbert. 

Walker Davis played the show’s protagonist, Ash. With charismatic and hilarious energy, Davis gave a stellar performance. Having been a fan of the “Evil Dead” films and the musical, Davis has wanted to perform in this show for a while. His familiarity with the material helped him develop his character.  

“Since [the musical] was really based off of all of the cult movies of the whole trilogy I really tried to embody Bruce Campbell as much as possible,” Davis said. Bruce Campbell played Ash in the original “Evil Dead” trilogy, and Davis definitely honored his performance. From his body language to his cadence, Davis encapsulated the spirit of the original cast while also bringing his own unique flare. 

With the musical being a complete genre flip from the movies, new approaches had to be made to the characters. Davis said that physicality was a challenge for him during the making of this show. But with his love for over-the-top theatre, he drew inspiration from older science fiction and horror films to help bring Ash to life. “People think that comedy is easy but it’s not,” Davis explained. “You have to really base everything in reality.”

Chelsi Jump’s performance also stood out. She played two characters: Shelly, a ditzy girlfriend who gets possessed by a demon, and Annie, a brilliant researcher who also gets caught up in the demonic drama. Jump’s ability to portray two characters with contrasting personalities in the same show was impressive. 

“Playing two different characters was such a fun challenge but took a lot of preparation individually for both parts,” Jump said. “I wanted to make sure both Shelly and Annie were fully thought out individuals with their own personalities. I thought a lot about what their voices would sound like and how to change my voice to differentiate between the two. I thought about the physicality of both of the characters — how Shelly would carry herself versus how Annie would. I tried my best to give them totally different postures: Shelly led with her chest and twirled her hair while Annie was no-nonsense, so very upright, perfect posture, and talked with her hands a lot.” 

Jump even made her own wardrobe choices, immensely developing her characters. “I knew an easy way to physically differentiate between the two characters was to make Shelly blonde,” she explained. “I tried to find the most 80’s wig I could possibly find, and honestly it brought Shelly to life. For Annie’s airport scene, I came up with the idea to have her in a hair scarf and sunglasses with an old Hollywood, May West-inspired feel. It was so fun to talk to the audience [afterward] and hear that a lot of people didn’t realize I played both parts.”

This was Jump’s first show with The Henry Players, and she plans on performing in more shows with the company in the future. 

The directors put just as much energy as the actors did in bringing this show to life. “There are so many moving pieces that you have to keep flowing,” said co-director Ryan Young. “For me, I’m a big planner. I like calendars and schedules. If you can map out on paper exactly what you need to do and when it needs to get done, you are ahead of the game. I think we did a great job of keeping everyone focused as we went. Also, aside from planning, you also need a good deal of flexibility because when something goes off schedule, you need to be able to adapt and get back on track. It can be quite stressful, but again, very rewarding when the full production comes together.”

This was Young’s first time directing, which made this show particularly special to him. He has previous experience in acting. “I might even like [directing] better than being on stage,” Young said. “It’s so amazing that no one gets paid for working on a show in most community theatres, but that doesn’t even matter to us, because the reward is the production itself. I couldn’t have asked for a better group to work with.

The success of the show, along with the intimacy of The Henry Players’ performance, points to the importance of supporting community theater. Based on data from the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, a non-profit based in Washington D.C., Georgia ranks last in the United States in arts funding, only spending $0.14 per capita. With a current culture that undermines and underfunds the arts, it becomes more pressing each day to support local creatives. Art pushes societies forward and allows people to find a place where they belong. Not supporting the arts means stripping people of the opportunity to express themselves and tell meaningful stories that could inspire others. 

Frankie B., a high school junior who is active in her school’s thespian society, attends the Henry Players’ shows frequently. She participates in a wide range of theatrical activities such as performing, costuming, marketing, and set design. 

“My favorite part of local theater is by far the people it brings together,” Frankie said. “It is so important that we keep community theater alive. It fuels expression in areas that may not have much of it. Through theater, I’ve been able to meet lots of people I wouldn’t otherwise. Our passion for the arts brings us together.” 

Actors Walker Davis and Chelsi Jump shared similar sentiments. 

“[Community theatre is] all about making a difference and making an impact,” Davis said. “It’s allowing people to be in another world and another person’s point of view. It brings everybody together. I think that’s really one of the most magical things about theatre is that you’re bringing all these different people together to have this experience.” 

“I was a very shy kid, and community theater brought me out of my shell,” Jump explained. “I think, especially now with how much division and hate there is in this world, theater is more important than ever. It brings people and communities together. You can escape reality and sit back and be entertained for a couple of hours without stressing about the outside world.”

There are many ways to get involved in community theater as well.  

“Attending shows and events is always the first step,” Frankie explained. Other ways to get involved are following companies on social media, volunteering for different companies, or even auditioning for shows. The Henry Players accepts volunteers for carpentry, construction, electrical work, plumbing, decorating, marketing, fundraising, grant writing, and ushering. 

The remaining shows in The Henry Players’ season are “12 Angry Jurors” (February 7th– 16th, 2025), “Disaster!” (April 25th – May 4th, 2025), and “A Raisin in the Sun” (June 13th – 22nd, 2025).