2 min read

As you move from room to room, you’ll encounter a series of eerie vignettes brought to life by more than 30 actors. Some characters whisper stories of the past, while others seem bound to the building itself, shadows of moments that never fully faded.

Tour guide Owen Lewis, right, holds a lantern Thursday night as he leads patrons during the Shadows in the Hall performances at the 1864 theater in downtown Gardiner. The eerie vignettes, performed by about 30 Gardiner area actors, dancers and musicians, featured stories from the past and others from the historic building. Performances happened over three floors of the theater. Over 100 patrons were hosted during the event which happens again Friday night. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer)
Water Street traffic passes Johnson Hall Opera House, left, during Thursday night’s Shadows in the Hall performances at the 1864 theater in downtown Gardiner. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer)
Patrons await their turn to tour Johnson Hall Opera House during Thursday night’s Shadows in the Hall performances at the 1864 theater in downtown Gardiner. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer)
Actors Maureen Kendzierski, left, and Lisa Copenhaver perform Thursday during the Shadows in the Hall performances at the 1864 Johnson Hall Opera House in downtown Gardiner. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer)
Jason Goucher adjusts lights and sound Thursday during the Shadows in the Hall performances at the 1864 Johnson Hall Opera House in downtown Gardiner. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer)
Members of the Gardiner Area High School Guitar Club perform “Don’t Fear the Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult, during the Shadows in the Hall performances Thursday night at the 1864 Johnson Hall Opera House in downtown Gardiner. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer)
Actor Katie Coan performs during the Shadows in the Hall performances Thursday night at the 1864 Johnson Hall Opera House in downtown Gardiner. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer)
Actors Cody Alexander, center, and Dylan Anderson, at cash register, perform a holdup scene Thursday during the Shadows in the Hall performances at the1864 Johnson Hall Opera House in downtown Gardiner. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer)

Rich is a career photojournalist and writer who got his start in newspapers in 1987 at the Fort Morgan Times in Colorado. His appreciation for photography and stories began as a kid while watching slide...

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