The inspiration for I Haunt You came from multiple places.  “I Haunt You was a long time coming kind of project. I was studying at Naropa University in Boulder, CO, and I saw a one-man show performed by one of my dance teachers. I was mesmerized. There was script and movement, props and strange set pieces, audience interaction, comedy, tears, big fucking life questions presented. He killed it. I drove home that night with a new goal – to produce a full-length stage show for just Raymond and I. We were typically producing shows with 20+ cast members at the time. This was a challenge I desperately wanted to take on. So I got a new notebook and wrote “Duet” on the cover. For about ten years, we would occasionally deep dive into concepts and daydream about the project. What is it? What could it be? But we’d always put it aside to focus on more immediate revenue generating projects.” 

“Then I woke up one morning, kind of like you wake up from a nightmare, with a gasp. It was January of 2020, I was five months pregnant with my second child, and I bought airfare to New York that morning. Something told me, we have to go now. We were there for Valentine’s weekend; we had lessons with one of our Argentine Tango coaches, we took in fabulous off-Broadway shows (ones that had resonance with our creative style). We were examining: how does our work fit into this landscape? Is it good enough? We were getting inspired, and choosing which project to focus on next: Experience ANNA 3 – yes a third production in our own story world, or Duet, whatever that old thing was going to be. I felt in my heart that it was time to focus on us. It was time to elevate our work and give this project the time it deserved. I wrote the first scene of Duet (working title) from our Jersey City Airbnb while I laid in bed one morning. And that was that. Duet was later named I Haunt You, a play on the expression “I heart you,” and we finally knew what it was going to be. Then we returned home, and the world closed due to COVID. What a brilliant nudge from the universe to insist that we go to New York when we did. And to choose Duet. What the hell else could we have even worked on?!” 

“We opened I Haunt You in the fall of 2021 in our ballroom in Eureka Springs, AR. We designed it to ‘travel-light’ with almost no set, only essential props, but a plethora of fabulous costumes! The creative choices we made to keep the show minimalist ended up working beautifully. It creates this unparalleled invitation for the audience to use their imaginations. It was a production risk, a different way of bringing a show to life. But it worked. Our audiences seriously resonated with it. And we’ve since produced another show in similar fashion, Silence in the Jungle – a show we wrote specifically to accommodate my third pregnancy! That show, also incredibly well received, I now perform with a fake belly.  My heart would love to open I Haunt You at the McKittrick Hotel, where Raymond and I felt so inspired and connected back on that NY trip in 2020. It would be a poetic full circle experience for us as creators. Although we’re not opposed to other fabulous spaces.” 

Considering that this couple connected through dance, dance is a very important element in their productions.  They teach dance at Melonlight studios and on Zoom.  They believe in the power of dance and feel confident that people who see their productions will connect with dancing in some way.   “Raymond and I have this silly catch phrase that we’ve repeated thousands of times throughout our careers, it’s actually a line from one of our scripts, and it goes like this: “you don’t even have to like dancing, you’ll love it!” And it’s so true. A lot of people, if you ask them if they like dancing (even just to watch it) they’ll often give a very ho-hum answer. But if you look to your right and there’s no one dancing, and you look to your left and there’s someone dancing, I promise, you’re going to keep looking left. Even people who “don’t like dance” like to watch dancing. It’s human, it’s ancient, it’s ingrained in us by now.” 

“I think our audiences receive our dancing so well because we use dance contextually. If there’s a dance number, it’s because it makes sense for our characters to be dancing right now. There’s always a love story; and if there’s a love story, then there’s a reason to dance. My husband and I have specialized in partnership dance styles for the last twenty years, so we have a bulky repertoire and a real life chemistry that is obvious on stage. We dance so close to our audience members that we can literally see the wave of emotion wash over them – whether it’s awe, desire, appreciation, or even feeling a little hot and bothered – the effect is palpable. It’s quality dancing, and often you don’t get that in a theatrical show, unless it’s a musical, which is a whole different animal!” 

“The second way we position dance into our shows contextually, is through spooky sequences. We often tell ghost stories, and there’s a sort of creative freedom that exists when we’re in unknown realms – like sleep, supernatural occurrences, or other dimensions. None of us are sure what those spaces hold, so everything is fair game, and thus we lace dance and unique movement into those spaces to create a haunting effect.” 

Obstacles certainly get in the way of artistic energy when trying to put together a production.  Emily discusses some of these obstacles.  “Kind of everything is an obstacle when you’re producing with a small team on your own budget (except for writing scripts, I could do that all day every day!) But we address what some would consider “limitations” by repositioning them as “creative challenges.” 

“For instance, we created I Haunt You with virtually no set. We did this on purpose so that we would be able to take this show on the road without a bus. It would’ve been easy to say “how in the hell are we going to let the audience know where we are without all these set pieces?” But instead, this very logistical limitation led to a very creative and successful artistic approach, in which the audience is given soundscapes, costuming, familiar lighting, and skillful acting to “display” the location. What happened (which is what we were hoping for) is that our audiences’ imaginations would be effortlessly ignited, and thus, the world (set) they imagined was so much more grand than any set we could’ve ever delivered. Also that “set” became unique to each audience member. Our minds know how to do this, we do it everytime we read a book. Now we often get the review that our guests “loved the set!” I laugh everytime. I’m so proud of their imaginations (and our ability to ignite them!) “

“Creative endeavors can always be tackled (fun!), but I think the biggest challenge we face is our location. I just don’t think that there are enough people with a heart for theater coming through our sweet little town. It is a tourist town, but I’m sure you’re not surprised that Arkansas is not known for theater. The guests that find us are definitely the right ones, those who totally resonate with our work. I know there’s more out there. Let us find you dear audience members.” 

“So the next challenge becomes how to take this little show to some big places. We’ll have to bring our brigade along as well (i.e. our three little boys and at least one nanny – oh my!)”

Emily recognizes that gothic romance is an enduring popular genre.  “Oh, I’ve asked myself this so many times, pondering why these are the stories I want to write. What is this dark nature within me? I’m not a particularly dark person, and like everyone, I don’t want to live out the tragedies that I write.” 

“To me, gothic romance hones in on the two most universal base emotions – love and fear. And they’re not just the undertones of the story (as those emotions are present in every story), but they are the story. I believe those emotions are two sides of the same coin. When I feel how much I love my husband and my boys, I’m simultaneously filled with fear, the fear of somehow losing it all. And when I think about how much I miss my dad, I can’ help but ponder what exists in the next dimension. None of us get to escape these questions and emotions, and gothic romance shines a spotlight on them. So if you’re inclined to go deep into your emotions – into your desire for love, your greatest fears, your philosophical wonderings about the unknown – gothic romance invites you to do exactly that, and often in a very poetic and visceral way.”

“Also, “people love to be scared.” Walt Disney, the man who created the happiest place on earth said that, and of course he’s right. We love to touch fear, and it’s especially fun when we know we’re still safe.” 

The goal is to bring I Haunt You to New York City where I’m sure it will be received well and have a successful run.  “Well, New York is the intention. One of my yoga teachers always says “do the thing you need to do to do the thing you need to do.” It’s the stupidest and simultaneously most brilliant (and always relevant) advice I’ve ever received. So if you want to take your show to New York, then don’t go to Cincinnati (thanks Jay.) Really, we hope to bring I Haunt You to New York for a successful run. We daydream about what doors may open following that. I think that our show Silence in the Jungle would be beautifully received in the Big Apple as well. And then…” 

The devil is in the details for Emily’s next production.  “I can’t not write. So, I’m currently working on a new script. It’s not a ghost story (as my last four scripts have been) so this is fresh! But it is the devil’s story. Think less Exorcist and much more avant garde burlesque with a killer philosophical message about the devil that exists within each of us. It promises to be incredibly sexy and laugh out loud funny, but this time around, scary will just be a side note. Dance may find a slightly more prominent role in this production. I play my burlesque persona, Miss M who is a ridiculously eccentric matriarch of her own burlesque company. But everything goes haywire when “The Devil” (played by my husband) joins her cast. More to come!”