The Pirates’ Hook sat down with the president of the haunted house club, senior Caitlyn Doughty, to ask her some questions about the upcoming haunted house. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
The Pirates’ Hook (PH): What is the haunted house?
Doughty (D): The haunted house is our biggest and only fundraiser for the theater department outside of the actual shows. We set up the walls and the rooms on the stage and in the pit and we have actors inside. We also have various decorations and effects and people just walk through like a haunted house.
PH: When is the haunted house and how many days will it last?
D: It’s the Thursday, Friday and Saturday before Halloween – October 26-28.
PH: What do you guys put the money towards at the end?
D: The money goes into buying primarily lumber because that’s the expensive stuff, but also props and other costume things that we need for the shows later in the year.
PH: What is the theme for this year’s haunted house?
D: Our theme is going to be horror movies through the ages.” Each room will have homages to maybe a specific movie, maybe a couple of movies mashed together from the same time period.
PH: What are you most excited about?
D: I really love watching people go through it. I’m up on one of the catwalks with a headset so that I can watch and say when to send the next group through, which means I get to see people go through it. There are some really fun moments.
PH: Do you think the haunted house will be more popular this year?
D: I hope so. We’re trying to be a bit more organized with our advertising, getting things ready, and getting the word out. It’s done pretty well in the past but I hope that we see it increase this year.
PH: What is the team most worried about for this year’s haunted house?
D: I think once the house is up and running, it’s good. The haunted house has about eleven rooms. Filling the rooms and having a strong enough sense of theme in each has been a bit of a struggle in the past. Hopefully, with the very specific theme that we have this year, it’ll go a bit smoother.
PH: How many people need to come to the haunted house for it to be labeled a success?
D: We try to spend as little money as possible on this so making a profit isn’t based on that. We made a couple hundred last year, so averaging it out with how much tickets cost will give us a number.
PH: Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven’t asked?
D: I think it’s a really great way for more people to get involved with theater stuff. [Haunted house] is the first thing we do in the year. We very specifically advertise for this. Last year we had the club fair to get people interested. It brings a lot more people in and makes them more aware of theater, which is great because then we have more numbers later. We get more input, people get to be creative and it’s a really great collaborative effort.
