Exal Iraheta grew up listening to tales from Central American mythology. “The stories, kind of like Grimms’ fairy tales did in Europe, didn’t shy away from real danger,” the playwright, screenwriter, and School of the Art Institute alum recalled. “For me, I’ve always thought of horror and scary stories as a way of releasing something, or experiencing life from a different perspective.”
“My (lead) character gets the chance to do a video date—which turns out not to be the best idea,” Iraheta said.
“Agatha’s Eggsitential Conundrum is one of my favorites,” he added. “It’s about a witch having trouble making an egg salad sandwich. And then a dog steals the sandwich.” Literally, the skit is (obviously) objectively hilarious. Metaphorically, it’s the kind of universal experience kids give voice to so plainly, this year above all perhaps. We’ve surely all been there: wrestling something into compliance, only to see it fall into oblivion.
Scary Stories: Dark Web 10/16-10/31, randomactschicago.com, $5; Unwell, unwellpodcast.com; That’s Weird, Grandma: House Par-Tay!, Through 12/28: Mon 8 PM, playmakerslab.org, $2-$4 (via Patreon).
