Beautiful Nightmares

Leverage Dance Theater is back at 2715 Cherokee Street with Beautiful Nightmares, their fourth immersive Halloween production. It runs October 29 and 30 at 7 PM, and October 31 and November 1 with matinees at 2 PM and 5 PM. If you've been to their previous Halloween shows, you'll recognize the format: instead of sitting in a seat, you move through the building with the performers.

This one is an entirely new story. It follows eight women confronting their inner demons in a world that pressures them to conform—pressures that eventually lead each one toward her own undoing. The company is led by artistic director Diana Barrios, with choreography by company members Keli Hermes and Paige Van Nest, and original music performed live by vocalists and instrumentalists. The cast transforms into new characters and creatures for every Halloween production, so this is a fresh set of roles from the ground up.

Because it's immersive, you'll be moving through the rooms, stairways, hallways, and the basement of the venue as the stories unfold around you. It's a small-scale experience, with only 40 to 50 people per performance, so you're never far from the action. If you've seen their previous Halloween show, Nightmares & Dreamscapes, you might feel some déjà vu as you travel some of the same pathways through the building, but the story and the cast are completely different.

Tickets are $10 to $35 for general admission, and the company recommends it for ages 13 and up. They also make a point of offering no-cost and low-cost tickets to disadvantaged communities. The full run is October 29 and 30 at 7 PM, and October 31 and November 1 at 2 PM and 5 PM, all at Leverage Dance Theater, 2715 Cherokee Street, St. Louis, MO 63118.