ANSONIA – Something spooktacular is coming to the Ansonia Armory.
An interactive Halloween event is set to transform the armory’s gymnasium into a “Zombie Prom” Oct. 11. The event is for people ages 21 and up. It will blend elements of a classic Halloween-theme party and a high school prom with a live theater show, according to the organizers. All guests must come dressed in their best undead attire.
Halloween fanatics Alex and Amanda Tuttle, of Seymour, have dubbed the event something unlike the Valley or anywhere else has seen.
“This is a massive undertaking and a first of many theatrical events we are building,” Alex Tuttle said.
The Tuttles had a year-round Halloween retail store called Halloween Dungeon which they opened in downtown Seymour last year. They recently closed the store and now have set their sights on staging annual theatrical Halloween events to die for. They hope to reopen the store in another location at some point.
“Zombie Prom CT is a Halloween party mixed with an immersive theater show, dinner and drinks,” Alex Tuttle said. “When guests walk in, they will be transported to a combination prom and mad scientist lab. We really want to immerse people in something totally unique and other worldly.”
A commercial for the event can be watched here on YouTube.
The event is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. to midnight Oct. 11 at the Ansonia Armory, located at 5 State St. General admission tickets are $99 and $140 for VIZ, or ‘Very Important Zombie,’ tickets (which includes early admission, premium seating and complimentary zombie makeup). Tickets include a catered dinner (including apple cider pork and mac and cheese) courtesy of Matties Deli and Catering and beer and limited cocktails courtesy of Tap Truck CT.
Tickets are available online at Eventbrite.
The Tuttles said they’re channeling their 30-year combined work experience in the haunted attraction industry and putting it all into the Zombie Prom. With his construction background in set-building and lighting and work in various attractions like the former Amity Road Horror, Alex Tuttle said he and his crew have been building the sets off-site for the past few months.
Amanda Tuttle, who has worked at Spooky World Presents: Nightmare New England in New Hampshire, Trail of Terror in Wallingford and Legends of Fear in Shelton, doing everything from acting and makeup to set design, is the “mastermind” behind the event, according to her husband.
“The vibe of this show is old-school Frankenstein meets The Phantom of the Opera, meets Jekyll and Hyde with zombies,” Amanda Tuttle said. “As a Halloween fanatic, I always want to see a show that I want to attend, and this (Zombie Prom) is it.”
Without giving too much away, Amanda Tuttle said the storyline she came up with is fun and spooky. She also teased that something big is slated to go down at 10:31 p.m.
“Dr. Victor Voltenburg has invited people to see his experiment, where he is able to transform and reanimate the dead through music. The doctor is running tests, and he wants to invite everyone to join him. But, in true horror movie fashion, things go terribly wrong.”
The Tuttles have hired performers from the tri-state area who’ll entertain the prom-goers throughout the night. The event will also feature classic prom photo opps, and instead of crowning a king and queen, a creature feature contest with prizes for “most glamorous zombie” and “most ugly scary zombie” will take place. Make-up artists will be on hand to transform prom-goers into their undead best, for an additional fee.
In addition to staging Zombie Prom, the Tuttles are still making handcrafted, decorative tombstones and will have a booth at the Seymour Pumpkin Festival this year. They also plan to host a canned food drive the day after the prom, Oct. 12, to benefit the Seymour Food Bank. Details will be forthcoming on their social media pages and Instagram.