Remember that creepy hallway scene in The Shining when the Grady twins beckon little Danny to come play forever and ever and ever? While more silly than creepy, the Brown Derby Series invites Seattle to come play for three nights, with ‘ridiculously staged readings’ of the screenplay at Re-bar all weekend.

Since 1999 Brown Derby has simultaneously parodied and paid homage—a “paromage” or “homarody,” as founder and director Ian Bell puts it—to some of Bell’s favorite scripts. This season is dedicated to Stephen King: no word yet who’ll replace Sissy Spacek for their “production” of Carrie, but we’re hoping it’s Nick Garrison. (The local actor fills in here for Shelley Duvall as the freaked-out wife.) Bell gives Culture Fiend the backstory on his madcap creation.

What inspired you to start Brown Derby?

Back in the late ’90s, I was talking with my boyfriend (now husband) Andrew about how I would love to see some of my favorite local drag performers play certain roles in our favorite movies. He said, “I think I’ve heard about an annual private party in New York where celebrities get together to read Valley of the Dolls for each other just for the fun of it.” And as they say, the rest is history.

What is your goal for each show?

It’s important to me that the Brown Derby feels less like theater and more like a social party—like those celebrities cramming into folding chairs in someone’s NYC apartment, script in one hand, drink in the other. It’s very much about lowering the expectations of the audience, so that even the crudest cardboard prop or most under-rehearsed performance can become wonderful, brilliant even.

What can people expect from The Shining this weekend?

Lots of knives, blood, over-the-top screaming, and patented Stephen King “crazy eyes.”

What do you love to hear from audience members?

Perhaps my favorite thing to hear, which I hear all the time, is that the Brown Derby Series was their first live theater experience. I like to think of the Brown Derby as theater’s “welcome mat”—perfect for wiping your feet on and designed to get dirty.

What screenplays are up next?

In May we’re doing Stand by Me, and Carrie in October. The August slot is still up in the air, though I’m drawn to Children of the Corn. Misery, Creepshow, and Christine have been suggested. I’m taking votes at [email protected].

The Shining runs March 10–12 at 8pm at Re-bar. Tickets are $16 and available on a first-come, first-served basis one hour before showtime. Online reservations are available for parties of five or more.