Historic Bank Transforms Into 'Vault Of Souls'
Interactive Halloween Event Mixes Cocktails & Spirits, The Haunting Spirits To Be Exact, In A Creepy Celebration Each Year
What if those giant old bank vaults held more than just money? What if – behind those cast iron walls – people entrusted banks with their souls? That's the premise behind the Vault Of Souls, an elegant interactive theatrical experience at the historic Exchange National Bank. Seances, live performances, cocktails and encounters with ghosts all await guests who step into the bank: An elegant way for grown-ups to celebrate Halloween.
The Exchange National Bank opened in 1923 to protect the worldly possessions of Tampa's High Society, as well as gangsters from up north, it's speculated. The Vault of Souls is actually based on a statement made by the bank's former president James Arthur Griffin, who had a “grand and glorious vision of the bank being a trendsetter of banking” as it moved forward, stated Creative Director Scott Swenson, who spent a lot of time researching the bank to come up with the story and experience.
This statement made Swenson think, “What if it held more than just money? What about ghosts? Spirits? Souls?” That became the basis for the overarching story line. He said: “The idea is that the bank discovered they could hold people's souls in one of their specially prepared vaults underneath the bank, soul's of people who felt their afterlife would be less pleasant.”
With bootlegging and gambling becoming very popular in the 20s, it seemed a fitting mythology. And the mysteries the bank held only further enhanced this idea.
While renovating the bank's basement it became obvious that the bank held some secrets. The Exchange National Bank was the first drive-through bank in Florida, even in the United States, so finding a teller window behind some paneling was a great find. But when they looked closer at the window they saw it was riddled with bullet holes. From the inside.
“It was common for gangsters up north to bring money to Tampa, since the railroad opened in the 20s,” said Swenson. “They would stash it down here in Tampa. We haven't been able to confirm it but it's been suggested that Al Capone actually had his money in this bank, under a different name. We used this information to help develop one of our gangster characters.”
Like any production, the Vault of Souls comes in acts. Three acts and locations. The first location is called The Arrival, a posh, high-end cocktail party. Guests can purchase hand-crafted cocktails while characters fill them in on the story. There's a poet. There's a ballerina who comes out and dances like nobody is in the room. There's live cello music. It's elegant. It's creepy.
Guests start to wonder what's really going on at the Exchange National Bank.
New this year, guests will be brought down to the bank's basement in small groups and be put into a single room where they will attempt to help a single spirit escape from the vault. They work together as a team, solving a series of tasks and putting together clues and hints, surrounded by ghostly special effects. There's a dominatrix, a precocious little boy, a demented psychologist... And the truth about each unique character slowly comes out as the night goes on.
Then the group can head up to the Spirit Bar on the bank's third floor, where local psychic and medium Wisteria will hold saunces to bring the spirits from the basement into full form at the bar. Guests can meet them, get their picture taken with them, and enjoy live entertainment and alcohol at the same time.
There's really no other Halloween experience like this.
So how is something so unique and different created? Who are the people who make it happen?
Swenson got involved in December of 2014, after being contacted by the bank's owners, The Wilson Company. They wanted a unique, adult Halloween event that didn't focus on blood and guts. After working as the Director of Entertainment at Bush Gardens for 20 years – and coming up with Hallow Scream and other popular productions – Swenson was the right person for the job.
“I've been writing haunted attractions for many years,” said Swenson. “The bank gave me a great opportunity to take existing folk lore and embellish it. And take history and fantasy and combine them to create these dark characters. It's part cocktail party, party release room, part haunted attraction, part interactive theater... It's a bunch of things coming together and it's remarkably unusual. You'll leave feeling as though you actually met ghosts.”
With a background in theater, Swenson's goal is to make people feel things. And Halloween is the perfect time for people to feel fear. It's an opportunity for adults to let loose. They like the idea of jumping.
“Adults now remember when Halloween used to be cool,” he explained. “When we could still Trick or Treat, go door to door, and not worry about things going wrong. Now, they have the opportunity to find an adult way to get that same sense of excitement surrounding the Halloween season.”
And he understands that not many people are used to the idea of watching a three hour play, sitting in a chair and staring at the stage. Swenson has always been fascinated by the idea of atmospheric, interactive and immersive theater, creating people and environments that get the audience involved in the experience. For Swenson, it's “fascinating to bring that art to a broader audience.”
People often wonder what to expect and how to prepare for such a unique event. Swenson has a simple answer: “Come with an interest in participating and interacting. And come ready to have some of the best hand-crafted cocktails you can have in Tampa.” The Vault of Souls is open every Friday and Saturday night in October, by reservation.
Olivia Richman
A graduate of East Connecticut State University in Journalism, Olivia has written for Stonebridge Press & Antiques Marketplace among others. She enjoys writing, running and video games.
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