Who is haunting whom?

Humor and heart drive this Indigenous ghost story by playwright Tara Moses

Celina Colby

Celina Colby is an arts and travel reporter with a fondness for Russian novels.... VIEW BIO

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The classic haunted house trope gets a fresh twist in “Haunted,” a humorous and chilling tale about two Indigenous siblings haunting a house where they died 20 years ago, written and directed by multi-hyphenate Seminole/Mvskoke playwright Tara Moses.

At first the story seems all fun and games, with the young ghosts, played by Bradley Lewis and Chingwe Padraig Sullivan, citing pop culture references and a soundtrack full of Britney Spears and Mariah Carey. But it becomes clear that the two ghosts yearn to make it to the spirit world and soon audiences begin to question who is haunting whom.

“With a lot of marginalized people, but especially with Native people, we have to laugh through the trauma sometimes,” says Moses. “We start off very funny, making fun of all of these tropes about Indian burial grounds and haunted houses … but over the course of the show it very much becomes a horror play for the spirits as well because they’re asking themselves, why are we stuck here?”

Chingwe Padraig Sullivan plays Aaron in the Company One production of “Haunted.”

Company One Theatre, in partnership with the Boston Public Library, produced the National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. The play is staged at the Boston Public Library, which Moses says is the perfect community gathering place for the informative and comedic show. This is the first-ever, full-length staged work by an Indigenous artist at the Boston Public Library.

Other cast members include JaQuan Malik Jones, Evan Turissini, Katherine Callaway and Tanya Avendaño Stockler. Quita Sullivan led the dramaturgy.

Actor JaQuan Malik Jones plays Vincent Jones in “Haunted.” COURTESY PHOTO

The production is a clever vehicle through which audiences can learn about the Land Back movement, an effort to reinstate Indigenous control over land and generate justice for the impacts of colonization. Moses explains that there are many ways to engage with the Land Back movement, including paying a portion of rent to tribal groups or giving them access to land for planting and food sovereignty programs.

“We are in a time of reckoning not only with our history, but also the roles we play in decolonizing the spaces we occupy,” says C1 Associate Artistic Director Summer L. Williams. “‘Haunted’ is an urgent reminder that ignoring the harm and issues caused by colonization will only deepen the roots that harm our most vulnerable community members.”

“Haunted” is playing at the Boston Public Library Jan. 24 to Feb. 15. As with all Company One Theatre productions, tickets are pay-what-you-want.

“It’s funny, there’s great music, it’s educational, we’re gonna learn a lot,” says Moses. “You’re gonna laugh, you’re gonna cry. It’s gonna be a great.”