By Matthew Li | January 9th, 2024
Tradition is a word associated with nostalgia, excitement, and oftentimes fun. The Woodlands Theatre company rolled this all into a neat package with a terrifying twist with their annual haunted house. With new and innovative ideas every year, the drama club never fails to deliver a hair-raising event. A variety of VFX, talented actors, and a stellar executive team meant a super smooth event with amazing results.
Join us in an interview with Melanie Tam, a Grade 11 Events Team executive at Drama Club, for a behind the scenes look at the logistics of this event.
The Woodstock (W): What do you have to think about when organizing such a big event?
Melanie: The first thing we need to consider is the space we need to hold the event. Thankfully, Mr. Lalonde and Mr. DeBeck allowed us to use the Dance Studio and Drama Room. Other considerations include purchasing props, preparation of art displays, and coming up with roles for the actors. We organised a sign-up sheet for actors and created a theme for the haunted house to revolve around. Sets from past events such as Beauty and the Beast were also reused to create new props.
W: How did you ensure everything ran smoothly?
Melanie: To begin, we did a bunch of practice runs. Beginning with basic scares with the lights on, we moved towards the full routine with the lights off and the actors in full costume to make sure that everything ran smoothly for the actual event. To make sure that people weren’t recording or using flash photography, we were much stricter about the rule and confiscated phones at the entrance. We also had a safe word, so we could instantly stop the routine if anyone felt uncomfortable or super scared. This way, we could ensure the safety and security of everyone while preserving the fun.
W: If you had to, what is one thing you would change to improve the haunted house for next year?
Melanie: Honestly, I think the best thing we could do would be to work out an improved storyline. This way, we could give each actor a specific character to play, meaning less generic jumpscares. Some other things we could change would be to improve speaker quality and put out some more promo for actor sign-ups and auditions.
W: If you could have anything at the haunted house, what new thing would you add?
Melanie: It would be cool if we could get those super big props like the ones from Spirit Halloween. These could be blow-ups, animatronics, or anything that could add a bit of flash and flair to the event.
W: How did most people react and what scares people the most?
Melanie: Reactions were honestly really varied, some people weren’t super scared, others were just kind of laughing nervously, but some people got really scared. This year we made the participants crawl on the ground, which added an element of unpredictability and vulnerability which I think helped with the scares.
W: How can other people join next year?
Melanie: In the weeks before the haunted house, there is a sign-up sheet for students who want to join as actors.
This interview was edited for clarity.
Melanie and fellow haunted house actor, Anjali Gautamadasa
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