Mansfield arts community teams up for a frightfully fun season

MANSFIELD — Scary movies in caverns, gothic plays at the local theater and a magical masquerade to close out the Halloween season.

Those are some of the items on tap for Arts After Dark. It’s the new and exciting partnership that connects Mansfield residents with spooky season events taking place throughout the city this year.

Along with haunts, frights and thrills, Arts After Dark also sets up a guide to what they call Tricks, Treats and Local Eats.

The birth of Arts After Dark

“Mansfield needs to embrace our spooky season and become a fall destination city,” Marketing and Development Director at the Mansfield Art Center (MAC) Jennifer Beavis said.

Beavis said the idea became a reality after meeting with Associate Artistic Director for The Renaissance Theater Ryan Shealy.

She added that they are grateful for the help received from DRM Productions to make Arts After Dark a reality.

“We met to discuss a collaborative effort with the Mansfield art scene,” she said.

This year marks the fourth year for Crow Fest at the Mansfield Art Center, which features a wide variety of crow-inspired artwork in every medium. Beavis said the event has grown over the years and continues to do so.

That growth sparked her effort to reach out to Shealy.

“I saw the Renaissance Theater is really celebrating spooky season this year with things like Rocky Horror and Dracula,” she said. “It made me question how we could combine everything together.”

Shealy said the Renaissance Theater has a staff full of all things spooky lovers. Doing shows like Rocky Horror and silent movies with the organ, has been something he said they have done for the past few years.

“Once we decided to do Dracula as our fall show, everything else fell into place and we realized that we had an entire roster of spooky programming,” he said.

Mansfield united for spooky celebrations

Beavis said she noticed other cities in Ohio hosting spooky events for a day or a weekend, but she and Shealy wanted to take it to the next level and bring events to Mansfield for the entire month.

“We are really trying to go above and beyond,” Beavis said. “There is much more to come, so stay tuned.”

Local places such as Prohibition at the Caverns are also embracing spooky season. Up until Halloween, guests can reserve seats to watch Halloween and horror-related movies on specific dates while enjoying a delicious dinner in the caverns.

“We have been named the haunted capital of Ohio,” Beavis said. “It is time we start really playing into that.”

Another highlighted event is The Blood Prison, one of many attractions featured by Arts After Dark.

“We are home to a nationally recognized haunted attraction with blood prison,” Shealy said. “Our community wants to celebrate this season and we should listen to them.”

However, Beavis said the collaboration isn’t just about horror. As someone who enjoys the spooky, gothic side of Halloween more than the frightening side, she wanted to include a wide variety of events in Mansfield as well.

For Harry Potter fans, the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra will transport listeners on Oct. 19 with Magical Mansfield: A Night of Wizards and Wonders.

Loving all things spooky was not the only reason Arts After Dark began, said Shealy. The realization that things are very hard right now for arts organizations fueled the fire for this partnership.

“As we learned from Covid, the arts are considered by many to be a luxury often being the first removed from people schedules and budgets,” Shealy said. “By coming together and showcasing the work of multiple arts organizations, we hope to push traffic and awareness and lift each other up.”

MAC Masquerade celebrates Halloween with glamour

To close out spooky season, there will be the MAC Masquerade, taking place on Oct. 31 at 8 p.m. Located at 700 Marion Avenue, the event will feature formal attire or themed costumes that match the evening’s atmosphere.

Shealy said when MAC approached them about being a part of a Halloween night collaboration, it snowballed into Arts After Dark.

“By creating opportunities for collaboration and by offering and asking each other for help,” Shealy said. “We are hoping to foster a community of change and support. And be “Better Together” as I’ve heard many say lately.”

Beavis added they wanted this event to be affordable for everyone.

Tickets start at $30, with wheelchair-accessible spaces also available for $30 and VIP tickets for $100.

The VIP ticket will come with limited edition sparkly glass pumpkin, made in the MAC hot-shop and a CrowFest 2025 t-shirt. The items will be wrapped in a gift bag.

Guests can expect drinks and gourmet refreshments created by the chefs at Gertz Culinary. Throughout the evening, City Six Strings Quartet will perform live classical renditions of modern music.

Beavis added there will also be a live performance of Dracula presented by talented performers from The Renaissance Theater.

Once the masquerade concludes, Beavis said guests will head over to The Renaissance Theater for an interactive experience while watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show, starting at 10 p.m., and to enjoy the GhostLight Lounge.

“There have been events on Halloween in Mansfield before,” Beavis said. “But not to this level.”

For questions or inquiries, visit the Arts After Dark website.