Blue Room Theatre is making sure ‘The Twilight Zone’ hits its 30th anniversary in Chico

Production runs between now and July 26

By Emily Haerter

Do you find yourself searching for horror, fantasy and drama? Are you keen for science fiction in black-and-white and compelling tales that leave you itching for more?

Then look no further than the Blue Room Theatre in Chico.

Celebrating the 30th anniversary of “The Twilight Zone” at Blue Room, director Nick Anderson is once again paying homage to the iconic TV series written by Rod Serling that grabbed the nation’s imagination in the late 1950s. For the team at Blue Room, its adaptations of The Twilight Zone episodes represent something they’ve had playing in a colorful and charming theater since the 1990s.

The current production marks a kind of come-back, in a new iteration, for the Blue Room.

“Theaters across the nation and world were forced to close their doors,” Anderson remembered of the COVID 19 pandemic. “The Blue Room was not immune, and so, in the summer of 2020, Blue Room lost its home of 26 years above Collier Hardware in downtown Chico.”

But the Blue Room’s cast and crew stayed resilient – and determined to continue hosting amazing performances for Chico’s community. The Blue Room Theatre, originally anchored in downtown, has moved and is now located at 1005 W. First Street in town. Understanding that Chico is a city full of aspiring artists and theatre enthusiasts, Anderson hopes the word is out that the Blue Room is still offering a quaint and pleasant space to share sensational performances for all ages.

“Some people might still not be aware that the Blue Room survived COVID, and that the group of dedicated, passionate, and resilient directors, actors, and technical artists wouldn’t go so gently into the night,” he observed.

Blue Room is also currently accepting donations on its website to stay afloat and host many more fun and exciting shows.

Anderson spoke with CN&R about the exciting opportunity to direct “The Twilight Zone” this year.

“It’s been a staple of the Blue Room Theatre back when they had late nights at the old location, and it’s always been a lot of fun,” he reflected. “People still resonate with the tales of the bizarre.”

Anderson knows that the eerie and intriguing aspects of the series The Twilight Zone draw in folks looking for a thrilling experience with live theater. The episodes chosen by Blue Room have changed since previous go-arounds, making for a nice surprise with each year’s performances. Audiences who attend the upcoming shows will see interpretations of the scripts for “Four O’Clock” and “Nothing in the Dark,” featuring JJ Hunt, Corban Fowler, David Lindstrom, Michael Swann, Nick Anderson, Ashley Olson, Genna Webster, Beau Reyes, Squakers Macaw and Christine Buckstead.

Paranoia and isolation seem to be the running themes of this year’s episode choices. “Four O’Clock,” the 94th installment of Serling’s TV series, is a subtle reference to the Red Scare from the 1950s and features Oliver Crangle, played by Anderson, as a fearful extremist. Crangle keeps track of anyone he deems “evil,” facing increased challenges because of his obsessions with the government and whomever he deems unruly.

Anderson describes it as a story about a “twisted, judgmental, angry man who decides to undertake a quest to eliminate evil, and just may succeed with help of his faithful parrot Pete.”

“Four O’Clock” may be a drama, but light-hearted characters such as Pete brighten the episode’s bleak themes.

Meanwhile, “Nothing in the Dark” centers on an older woman who has fears of shadows and her own ending, which has thrust her into a cautious seclusion from society. Anderson describes it as “a beautiful story about a woman who must brave paranoia, isolation and madness to confront her overwhelming fear of death.”

He added, in reference to both productions, “I was able to assemble a magnificent cast and crew, including some veteran actors of the Chico theatre scene as well as some new faces fresh out of Chico State.”

That includes Soid Estrada and Loki Miller working as a background crew who can make the experience a fun and immersive one.

The production opened on July 11 and will run through the July 26, with performances on Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased here.

“I believe The Twilight Zone still resonates with people of all ages, because they are so relatable and unexpectedly strange, much like life and self,” Anderson observed. “Rod Serling, the creator of The Twilight Zone, was a brilliant mind, and I am attempting to capture some of that brilliance.”