Spooky-themed fun before Halloween

You would suppose that getting scared is a pretty spontaneous activity. Someone jumps out and yells “Boo!” and you jump straight up the air. It’s not complicated.

But sometimes, it takes a little planning ahead.

With just a little over a week left until Halloween, it’s time to make reservations for some Halloween events. There are zombie balls, trick-or-treating with wild animals, Halloween-themed bands and parties at clubs, and several spooky theatrical productions.

Among the stage shows available are the ever-popular “Dracula,” the cult favorite “Rocky Horror Picture Show” and the new musical adaptation of a TV classic, “The Addams Family.”

If plays aren’t your thing, you can sign up for the Safari West animal park’s first-ever Halloween weekend events next week or Sebastopol’s “Zombie Ball.”

Since people mostly go to the theater to escape the world’s worries, it might seem odd that people seek out monsters and the macabre, but theater people have their own theories about that.

“I think some people love to be scared in a group,” said Jaime Love, executive director of the Sonoma Theatre Alliance. “In a theater full of people, you have the safety to explore dark things, because you know that at the end, the house lights are going to come up.”

Silver Moon Theatre, one of five companies in the Sonoma Theatre Alliance collective, is staging “Dracula,” directed by Nellie Cravens, through Nov. 2 at the Sonoma Community Center.

Another troupe in the alliance, Sonoma Readers’ Theatre, will put on an early “Fright Night” Tuesday at the Sonoma Community Center, with staged readings of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Telltale Heart” and 1940s radio classic “Sorry, Wrong Number.”

The 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa also offers two seasonal shows. On its main stage, “The Addams Family,” the Broadway musical version of the 1960s TV series, newly released to regional theaters, runs through Nov. 2.

“It’s the season. It’s October, and pumpkins are everywhere,” said the show’s guest director, Matthew McCoy of San Francisco.

“Halloween is a big American holiday that emphasizes what’s scary, and ‘Addams Family’ is both scary and fun,” he said. “It shows that Gothic side of things. It pays homage to the TV show, but there are things that will shock you a little, too.”

In its Studio Theater next-door, the 6th Street Playhouse presents an encore of last year’s production of “The Rocky Horror Show,” with Rob Broadhurst returning as Dr. Frank N. Furter.

“It was a huge hit here last year, and we decided then we wanted to bring it back,” said Craig Miller, 6th Street Playhouse artistic director. Miller is directing the production, which runs through Nov. 9.

Here’s a quick, plan-ahead guide to Halloween attractions. We’ll update you next Friday, on Halloween, with some last-minute suggestions.

“The Addams Family.” 8 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays, 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, until Nov. 2. $15-$37. 6th Street Playhouse, 52 W. Sixth St., Santa Rosa. 523-4185, 6thstreetplayhouse.com.

“Boos and Bones.” First-ever Safari West Halloween weekend spectacular, “Walking with the Dead,” trick-or-treating with a stroll through the park’s new animal skeleton exhibit, 4-8 p.m. Oct. 31. “Day of the Dead” commemoration, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Nov. 1-2. Safari West, 3115 Porter Creek Road, Santa Rosa. $35-$45, Oct. 31; $15-$25, Nov. 1-2. Reservations: 579-2551, safariwest.com.

“Dracula.” 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, until Nov. 2. $20-$25. Silver Moon Theatre, Sonoma Community Center, 276 E. Napa St., Sonoma. 938-4626 ext. 1, sonomatheatrealliance.org.

“Fright Night,” featuring “The Telltale Heart” and “Sorry, Wrong Number,” 7 p.m. Tuesday Sonoma Readers’ Theatre, Sonoma Community Center, 276 E. Napa St., Sonoma. $14. 938-4626, svbo.org.

“The Game’s Afoot.” A mystery play about stage actor William Gillette, famed for playing Sherlock Holmes. Raven Players, Raven Theater, 115 North St., Healdsburg. 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 25, as well as Oct. 31-Nov. 1, with matinees at 2 p.m. Sunday and Nov. 2. $10-$25. 433-6335, raventheater.org.

“The Rocky Horror Show,” 8 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays, 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, until Nov. 9. Two shows, at 8 and 11 p.m., Oct. 31. There’s a costume contest every night, including both the 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. shows on 10/31). Studio Theatre, 6th Street Playhouse, 52 W. Sixth St., Santa Rosa. $10-$25. 523-4185, 6thstreetplayhouse.com.

“War of the Worlds.” A re-enactment of Orson Welles infamous Halloween night 1938 radio play based on H.G. Wells’ novel. 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 25 $10. Raven Theater Windsor, 195 Windsor River Road, Windsor. raventheater.org/windsor.

“Zombie Ball.” A Halloween party presented by Mr. Music (Jim Corbett), with live dance music by Gator Nation and the Rhythm Rangers, plus a costume contest and the classic films, “Creature from the Black Lagoon” and “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein,” 7 p.m.-12 a.m. Oct. 31. $25 in advance; $35 at the door. Sebastopol Community Cultural Center, 390 Morris St., Sebastopol. 823-1511, seb.org, ticketing.com.

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at 521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com. Read his Arts blog at arts.blogs.pressdemocrat.com.