Thursday, October 15, 2026

Thinning of the Veil: The Damsel and the Damned
Deviant Productions

Venue at Lakeside
1002 State Fair Blvd., Syracuse

Thinning of the Veil is your new favorite spooky tradition, a guided walking tour that immerses audiences in a haunting world of performance and visual art.

This season's production, The Damsel and the Damned, turns its gaze toward the eerie elegance of silent film and the women who helped shape cinema's earliest years. Through theatrical expression, multimedia art, and movement, Deviant reimagines the iconic female archetypes of the silent screen — the virtuous heroine, the helpless damsel, and the seductive Vamp — revealing the desires, struggles, power, and transformations within the roles they were given.

Audiences are invited to step beyond the screen and into a world where the damsels are no longer waiting to be rescued; the Vamps have stories of their own, and the damned refuse to remain silent.

Aerial Arts: Pole, Lyra, and Silks artists defy gravity through innovative movement and storytelling.
Dance: Contemporary, Jazz, and Chair dance bring unique characters and haunting stories to life.
Visual Art: Local artists Dan Bingham, Lief Brunet, Christine Stadler, and Lisa Price create props, installations, and multimedia elements that transform the venue into a vintage theatre.

Audience Participation: Each audience member will be asked to wear a paper masquerade mask, a "veil", through which they will experience the show. Audiences will encounter a haunting collection of unforgettable characters as they walk from installation to installation.

Thinning of the Veil is a show for the senses. It is intended to be thought-provoking, rather than scary, with an atmosphere that is eerie, beautiful, and surreal.

Whether you love Halloween, silent cinema, or compelling theatrical dance, Thinning of the Veil promises an evening that is both chilling and beautiful.

* Arrive 15 minutes before your tour time. There is a free parking lot attached to the venue.
* Tours will begin promptly! All audience members must book a tour time, regardless of their donation amount. All audience members will be admitted based on their reserved time slot. There is no late entry, and there is no refund for a missed time slot.
* Approximate show time is 1 hour 15 minutes.

Preregistration required