As October winds down, the Wakefield High School Theatre is prepared to haunt the library with Page 13. The haunted library will be playing from Thursday, October 28th to Saturday, October 30th from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM, with the admission fee being $5. After performing the haunted house online through Google Meets last year before, Wakefield’s theatre program is returning to do the haunted house live in the auditorium this year with COVID precautions in place. 

Xanixus Moysenko, who was the director of the online haunted house and now the president of the Drama Club, shares information about the experience.

“The online haunted house was difficult for a lot of people because we never did one before,” Moysenko said. “Being online, you´re limited with what you can do for live performances and materials.”

Xanixus Moysenko also talked about the specifics of what they had to do for the online haunted house last year.

“We did interactive stories, games, and stuff like that,” said Moysenko. “It was put on a site and [we] gave people access to it for free.”

Theatre teacher Paul Orsett talks about the precautions he and his students are taking to do a live-in-person haunted house to make sure it´ll be safe for everyone.

“We have increased the areas of the maze, limited the number of people who can go in at the same time, and are requiring everyone to wear masks,” Orsett said.

Orsett has been hosting the haunted house for years, but continues to be thrilled by people’s reactions.

“Watching people running out scared is my favorite part of the job for me,¨ Orsett said.

Orsett, along with his students who are working on the haunted house this year, were asked how they managed to adapt to these new challenges and continue on with their work.

Maria Hoppough, a tech theatre student also acting in the shows, shares her opinion.

“All of our actors have to wear masks,”  Hoppough said. “Whenever you scream or do big facial expressions, your masks just keep coming down.”

Millie Monahan, Vice President of WHS’s International Thespian Society, was also asked about the new challenges that occurred because of COVID.

“We can’t have the rooms as small as usual throughout the maze,” Monahan said. “We want to keep social distancing by allowing small groups into the haunted house.” 

Hoppough was questioned whether the precautions that they are taking will cause this year’s haunted house to not be as scary.

“I think it´ll be just as good,” Hoppough said.

The haunted house this year will be a frightening activity for anyone looking for a safe activity during the month of October.  Orsett and his students are dedicated to the project and making sure the live event continues to thrill audiences.