By Sara Beth Williams–
The Mesa Verde Theater department is hosting its fourth annual ‘Ghost Tours’ this Halloween season. Ghost Tours are scheduled for Oct. 24, 25, and 26 with an additional alumni preview night Tuesday Oct. 22.
Participants are taken on a guided tour through Mesa Verde’s campus at dusk where they encounter “ghosts” who share their sordid tales of sorrows. Participants will encounter local “ghosts” like Luella Horton and famous names like The Zodiac Killer. The tour guides and “ghosts” alike are played by Mesa Verde students.
In years past, theater teacher Sean Melby said several of the “ghosts” were portrayed by alumni theater students as well as current Mesa Verde theater students. This year he said only one alumni theater student is participating.
“This year we added five ghosts with new monologues that were written by my students in the Writing for the Stage class last year,” Melby said, adding that he plans to make writing monologues specifically for the event an annual part of his class so that the content of the Ghost Tours is new every year. This year’s Ghost Tours event will feature four local ghosts and six more popular ghosts.
Melby called the Ghost Tours a “unique” theatrical experience that “flips the script” on traditional sit-down theater performances.
“The ghost is four feet in front of you. They’re going to walk into the audiences and deliver a menacing line to someone,” Melby said, adding that audience members will feel like they’re involved in the show, as opposed to having a fourth wall separating them from a production on stage. Melby also said the flow of the show allows for participants to experience a ghost monologue, then talk to their friends about the experience while they walk, before encountering another ghost.
Melby said he enjoys putting together the Ghost Tours event for the fall because it provides students who are new to theater with an opportunity to practice and learn theater for an individual performance, instead of a large group performance. Melby said from an actor’s standpoint, it’s more “digestible.” This year, Melby said he had twice as many students audition as he did last year.
Many of the student actors are part of Mesa Verde’s new Professional Theater Career Technical Education Pathway which is a program for students interested in acting, creative writing, set design and costume design. The pathway includes four classes: Introduction to theater, Professional theater, Writing for the stage and Stage production.
Ghost Tours will depart at 6 p.m. from the Performing Arts Center at Mesa Verde High School and guests are encouraged to arrive 15 minutes early. Adult tickets are $8 and student tickets are $5. Tickets are available for purchase online, here. All proceeds go to support the Mesa Verde Theatre Program.
Mesa Verde High School is located at 7501 Carriage Drive.
The Mesa Verde Theater department is hosting its fourth annual ‘Ghost Tours’ this Halloween season. Ghost Tours are scheduled for Oct. 24, 25, and 26 with an alumni preview night on Oct. 22.
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