The director, orchestrator, and co-writer of the events, Jayson Kretzer, emphasizes going beyond scare tactics and allowing the patrons to experience a historic night of extreme terror. In a recent interview to spark interest in this year’s new actors, Jayson said, “And let us hope the spirits of this building join us in creating a horror-filled night of frights!” Within the last five years, a staple character, the Raven Queen, has shown her past, present, and future through the haunts, as both good and bad. This year’s story, as in any other year, is kept secret and leaves the community in suspense, which allows actors the space to build characters and explore new concepts. Kasey Normand and Payton Merry, the actor coordinators, host several scare acting classes throughout September and October. These classes teach scare actors how to be ghoulish, twisted, and demented. In an interview with Kasey at the first building event of the year, she points out the crucial aspect that new actors need to understand, “No one knows who you are here. You can be as loud, as unhinged, and as adventurous as you want. The main goal here is to have fun while also giving the patrons a good fright!” Beyond acting and participating in the actual event, the Bay Arts Alliance invites community members to join in planning, creating, and conceptualizing the haunt’s twists and turns. From the first meeting, a plan of action is created, ideas are exchanged, budgets are discussed, and a course of action is determined. Week one is all about the blueprints, putting down the groundwork, and deciding which rooms will be used.
Week two is about the materials, what needs to be bought, and sorting out donations; close attention is paid to costuming. Week three sees a focus on the details, the painting, the wiring, the lights, the sounds, the prop selection, and a general breakdown of how each room will eventually look and where the actor coordinators will begin to assign actors. Week four is all about the final details, with the haunt’s opening night fast approaching, coordinators, community members, writers, and artists are focused on completing the set to welcome patrons in for a spooky night to remember. Finally, the press is invited at week five before opening night to see the hard work put into creating the haunt. Actors dawn their costumes, learn their placement, and coordinate with their set partners to create terrifying scenes. The haunt is more than just an event to remember. It is a way to become involved within a community of people who share a common goal of having fun and being scary together. Fright Nights welcomes all ages to the fright-filled halls of screams this year on October 17th—19th and October 23rd—26th.
Andrea Cummings
Student Writer - Fall 2024
This was written for DIG 2151: Writing for Media.
