If you're looking for something a bit different from the usual Halloween haunts around St. Louis this month, there's a new play that leans into the spooky season without being a typical ghost story. Fly North Theatricals is staging the world premiere of The Invention of Lightning, a western-horror piece by Colin Healy and Bradley Rohlf, and it's playing over at the Greenfinch Theater and Dive at 2525 South Jefferson Avenue. The run started on October 22 and goes through November 1, so there's still a good chunk of it left to catch.
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The premise is a sharp one. It's set in 1861, at the dawn of the transcontinental telegraph, in a remote Nevada desert relay station during the Civil War era. The story follows two men — a Pony Express messenger and a Western Union employee — who are relaying messages using the new power of electricity, only to realize that something may be lurking in the wires. At its heart, it's the story of the last Pony Express rider forced to adapt to the technological advance of the telegraph, which gives the horror a bit of a thematic anchor.
On stage, Ryan Matthew Whaley plays Bill Naughton, who was a real historical Pony Express messenger, and Michael Musgrave-Perkins plays the Western Union employee, Horace McCall. Sarah Lynne Holt and Colin Healy provide additional voice dubbing, which adds another layer to the production. The creative team is tight-knit: Bradley Rohlf directed and co-wrote the play, and Colin Healy co-wrote it while also composing the original score and handling the sound effects. Leo Young did the set and served as technical director, Ryan Thorp handled lighting, Joel Stillwell took care of special effects, and Jen Blum-Tatara did the costumes. Rohlf also stepped in as the object designer.
It's worth knowing who's behind it, because Fly North Theatricals isn't just putting on a one-off show. It's a nonprofit company founded by Healy and Rohlf, and they've built a real presence here in St. Louis. They offer one-on-one coaching in voice, acting, and dance, and they run The Starling Company, an affiliate that gives youth-centered theatrical opportunities to children in the St. Louis area. Their Theater For All Initiative is the part that really stands out: it hands out up to $10,000 a year in scholarships and grants for private students of voice, dance, and acting, and keeps their shows pay-what-you-want, so the theater is entirely fee-free. The company is based at 2727 S. Jefferson Avenue in South City, just south of Jefferson and Gravois, with a free parking lot attached to the north of the building.
This isn't their first outing, either. They've put on The Gringo back in 2018, Madam in 2020, Assassins in 2022, and Caroline, Or Change in 2023. Healy has served as Artist-In-Residence at St. Louis University and the Center Of Creative Arts, and Rohlf has been recognized by the St. Louis Theater Circle for his directing. So, if you're in the mood for a bit of genre-bending theater that doubles as a Halloween outing, The Invention of Lightning is a solid pick.
Published Date
26 October 2026
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