®

The Players The Staff

Annie Abrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Martha, Ann White Based on the story by H. P. Lovecraft
Rick Batalla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Clifford Babbit
Sean Branney . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Waite Radio Adaptation by Sean Branney and Andrew Leman
Kacey Camp . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nurse Paiva, Donovan, Rhoby Harris Original Music by Troy Sterling Nies
Ken Clement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lester Mayhew French language assistance by David Camus and Arnaud Duroy
Matt Foyer . . . . Det. Brennan, Eleazar Durfee, Goodman Loucks
Illustrations by Darrell Tutchton
Hollie Hunt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Delilah, Megan

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McKerrin Kelly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bonnie, Mercy Dexter CD Back Cover Illustration by Vladyslav Urasov
Andrew Leman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Elihu Whipple Prop Inserts by Andrew Leman and Sean Branney
Kevin Stidham . . . . . . . . . . . . Niels, Magistrate, Carrington Harris
Research assistance by Mary Austin, David Cercone,
Entire original contents and packaging ℗ & © MMXXIII by HPLHS, Josh Thoemke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Announcer
inc. All rights reserved. unauthorized duplication is a violation Evan Franke, N. R. Jenzen-Jones and Dan Pratt
of applicable, and frequently broken, law. This audio program is
licensed only for private home enjoyment, and is, perhaps ironi-
Sarah van der Pol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Heather, Georgianne
cally, not intended for actual radio broadcast.
Julie Wiesenberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gage, Mary Produced by Sean Branney and Andrew Leman
www.hplhs.org
ludo fore putavimus Time Winters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Doc Hopkins, Goodman Price For more fascinating information, visit:
no AI-generated writing, artwork, props, or audio was used in this production
www.hplhs.org/darttsh.php

There is another very strange old house story to be published as a book in his was high time that she have a moment
nearby which houses some distant rela- lifetime, but Cook’s later financial trou- in the spotlight — or at least at the mi-
tives of mine, & which I have made the bles prevented it, and those unbound crophone — where she could be front
scene of a very sombre horror-tale. The tale printed pages remain one of the most and center in a tale.
is to be issued as a small book by W. Paul sought-after Lovecraftian collectibles. Lovecraft’s skillful blending of real
Cook, & you will later see a copy. Weird Tales did publish it posthumously people, places, science and history
—H.P.L. to Elizabeth Toldridge, in October of 1937, along with an enco- gives the fictional horrors visited upon
10 June 1929 mium declaring HPL to be “probably the house’s residents an unnerving
the greatest contemporary master of plausibility. In HPL’s original ending,
1924 was a big year for H.P. Love- weird fiction”. the narrator digs up and pours acid on
craft. On March 3, he married Sonia The story was inspired by two actual the monster’s titan elbow. We under-
Greene and shortly thereafter moved buildings. One was a decaying wreck of stand that HPL did that in the convic-
from his beloved hometown of Provi- a house that Lovecraft saw on a visit to tion it would be more plausible and
dence to Brooklyn, New York. Initially, Elizabeth, New Jersey. Lovecraft called realistic, but for this adaptation we de-
Lovecraft was enthralled by the Big it “…a hellish place where night-black cided—perhaps ironically—to change
Apple and kept an active social life, deeds must have been done in the ear- it to a more vulnerable and dramati-
frequently going on rambles with his ly seventeen-hundreds”. Sadly, it has cally compelling anatomical feature.
friends and fellow authors, including since been demolished. The other still —SB and ARHL
Frank Belknap Long, Henry Everett stands on Benefit Street in Providence’s
McNeil, James F. Morton and Rhein- College Hill neighborhood. Searchers
hart Kleiner. after horror in modern-day Providence
Lovecraft penned “The Shunned will almost certainly be disappointed
House” in a scant three days, between by their visit to 135 Benefit Street; it’s a
October 16–19. Many of his strengths nicely maintained and perfectly lovely
shine through in this tale. He uses well late Colonial house, without a hint of
established tropes of vampires and anything terrible. But Lovecraft’s aunt
werewolves, including real historical Lillian Clark lived in the house briefly,
accounts of Mercy Brown and Jacques and in its rundown condition during his
Roulet, and builds something entirely lifetime, he thought it a suitable loca-
new from them. He combines horror tion for a weird tale.
with the cutting-edge technologies of Besides real buildings, real his-
his day, such as the Crookes Tube and tory, and real science, “The Shunned
flamethrower, to introduce an element House” was inspired by real people.
of science fiction. (We decided to add to The unnamed narrator has a number of
that by including the Bergonic Chair, a similarities to Lovecraft himself, and
real WWI-era device for electroconvul- the character’s uncle, Elihu Whipple,
sive therapy.) seems to be a mash-up of HPL’s grand-
The story was initially rejected by father Whipple Phillips and uncle Dr.
Weird Tales and other publishers, but Franklin Clark. In adapting the tale,
Lovecraft read it to his New York col- we leaned into this recreation of HPL’s
leagues and they embraced the tale. In childhood home by adding one more
a letter about the reading HPL wrote member of the real household: Delilah
they “waxed incredibly enthusiastick in Townsend. Mrs. Townsend was a black
affirming that it is the best thing I ever woman who worked for the Lovecraft
writ.” W. Paul Cook thought so highly of family from HPL’s childhood until de-
it that he set it in type and printed up clining fortunes precluded the main-
300 copies, with the plan to publish it tenace of a hired staff. HPL himself
in book form. Had that plan succeeded based a character in The Case of Charles
it would have been the first Lovecraft Dexter Ward on her, but we thought it