From the theatre troupe that has won the Southeastern Theatre Conference on more than one occasion comes The Axeman’s Requiem, a story about love, sacrifice, community, and of course, voodoo.

Set in 1920’s New Orleans, The Axeman’s Requiem, centers around Thomas, a jazz musician, and his love for a nanny, Elise.

“In New Orleans the only thing you can do to solve your problems is to turn to voodoo and that leads to dire series of consequences,” said Alice Grissom, a student director for the show.

Thursday will be the Patriot Players’ first performance at Bob Jones annual Dramafest, which not only includes the one act but also individual events like monologues, duets, readers’ theatre, and pantomimes from members of the drama program. The Axeman’s Requiem will be shown at 7:15, but the individual events start at 6:30. Admission into Dramafest is $5.

Each advanced production show is written and directed  Dwayne B. Craft, but The Axeman’s Requiem is nothing like Mr. Craft has ever done before.

Seth Slaton, who plays Thomas, said, “It’s a lot darker than any show I’ve seen, at least recently with Bob Jones.”

“It’s got a lot of different elements that can draw people in,” said Alice Grissom.“It’s got a little bit of horror, a little bit of magic, a little bit of fear in it.”

This year, the one act will be even more aesthetically pleasing.

“We‘re utilizing UV lights and reactive paint! The show has a lot of gimmicks, but also has a great story backing it up,” Kamron Sanderfer, the show’s antagonist, said.

With New Orleans as the backdrop of this year’s one act, it’s bound to be a hit.

“They keep the dinge that you could expect to find in a run down part of the city as well they also have the bright colors, but then there’s that kind of a bit of darkness that you’d expect from a plot with this moodiness and depth,” said Alice Grissom

“We’re going to have live music, there’s going to be singing and Alex Clark on the guitar! There’s a parade that’s going to be incorporated. There’s lots of life; it feels real,” Bonnie Dickerson, who plays Tilde, said.

Come out to Dramafest this Thursday to see the supernatural spectacular of The Axeman’s Requiem and the rest the Bob Jones drama department has to offer.