On Friday, Oct. 27, 2023, the Performing Arts Department at FHS will be hosting a Haunted House for students. It will be a walk-through experience in the C-Building, featuring an Artist Alley, jumpscares and other surprises around the theme of famous musicals. This year’s Haunted House is senior Wren Iswandhi’s Honors Project, as a part of Advanced Stagecraft. 

The Senior Honors Project is a 60-hour project over the course of a year, undertaken to expand on one’s current skills. 

“It has to be something that adds value to the department, something that enhances their skills,” FHS theater teacher Tanya Misfeldt said. “If they’re a designer, maybe they’re going to produce something [that] takes them beyond what they’re doing in the classroom environment.”

In the past, students have assistant-directed, stage-managed or created choreography for the musical, or directed Beginning Drama’s Dramapalooza. 

Iswandhi enjoyed designing sets for the ASB-led Haunted House in 2021, and approached MIsfeldt in March of last school year with the idea of holding a Haunted House after ASB decided against organizing the event again.

“I figured that the theater department would be a good department to do it because we have experience putting on productions,” Iswandhi said. “I also wanted to have some sort of fun event that I was involved with this year, I thought that [the Haunted House] was the perfect opportunity to use my talent.” 

Iswandhi plans for the Haunted House to consist of multiple rooms, each centered around a famous musical or play, such as the “Wizard of Oz” or “Romeo and Juliet.” Students from Stagecraft applied to design a room, and once accepted, created drafts of potential layouts before starting the building process. 

“I’m designing ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ in the [theater] blackbox,” junior Will Wojcik said. “I feel like creating such intricate puppets and in general room design on a limited budget is interesting. There’s obviously issues that come with that, but there’s also some really fun solutions.” 

Additionally, the Haunted House will feature students acting as characters in the musicals the rooms represent, and performing jumpscares. Iswandhi hosted auditions in late September, with students auditioning for hosts that will lead visitors through the House, room actors specific to a certain area or jumpscare actors hiding throughout the house. 

“[I auditioned] because I enjoy performing,” junior Sophie Christensen said. “This is definitely a different experience than an onstage performance, a way of interacting with our audience way more which I feel like is a very unique opportunity that isn’t had a lot.”

The 25 actors have spent the past few weeks finalizing lines, costumes and makeup.  Next week, known as Tech Week, participants will add the final touches to sets and do run-throughs before the big day. 

“One of the challenges in an event like this is that you have to set it all up on the night of,” Iswandhi said. “I don’t actually know what it will look like, so I’m really excited to see what it’s like when we put together everything with all the costumes.”