Winnipesaukee Playhouse founding artistic director returns for 2nd staging of 'The Woman in Black'

When Neil Pankhurst produces a ghost story on stage, it’s the gasps and screams from the audience that let him and his crew know they’ve done their work well.

Back in 2006, when he directed “The Woman in Black” for The Winnipesaukee Playhouse at the company’s former location at The Weirs, Pankhurst and the show’s lighting and scene designers stood behind the audience at the start of the show on opening night.

During a particularly tense scene, several members of the audience screamed.

“People were in shock, and the three of us were high-fiving each other,” said Pankhurst, the company’s founding artistic director. “'Yes!' We actually achieved what we set out to achieve.”

This summer, The Winnipesaukee Playhouse will produce “The Woman in Black” again, in the company’s space in Meredith