Created entirely by YPAS theatre students at Manual, “Ghosts in the Annex” is a haunted house experience that is written, directed and performed by students themselves. The production immerses audiences in a series of ghost stories that blend suspense, emotion and humor into an interactive theatre experience.
“Being able to formulate the idea, write and form it into fruition completely on our own was something I had never been allowed to do. I absolutely loved being given that chance and collaborating heavily on every aspect,” Corinne Gannott (12, YPAS) said.
The haunted house began outside the annex, establishing an eerie tone with the introduction of the first ghost, Carrie Peterson Lindenberger, played by Timyah Hall (12, YPAS). Hall portrayed a mother who died shortly after giving birth to triplets, who also did not survive. Before audiences entered the haunted annex, Hall let out a guttural scream, grabbed audience members by the shoulders and urged them to run to safety.
The second ghost, Alfred duPont, played by Claire Eisenback (11, YPAS), represented the financier and philanthropist who funded DuPont Manual High School. This character came across as knowledgeable, sharing historical facts about the school and adding moments of humor through witty, ‘know-it-all’ style commentary that made the audience laugh.
Later, the Giggling Ghosts: Joselin Dominguez (12, YPAS), Kennyon Stewart (12, YPAS) and Tony Moore (11, YPAS) introduced a more traditional spooky element. The Giggling Ghosts climbed out from behind a wardrobe, used high-pitched laughter, slammed doors and chased the audience through the halls.
This scene transitioned into Jennie Bowman’s story, played by Arielle Betts (11, YPAS). Jennie, a young domestic worker who was murdered during a break-in, was depicted as being trapped in that moment, reliving it for eternity. Her husband, played by Tristan Meredith (12, YPAS), added emotional weight to the scene.
Miss G, known as the Lady on the Stairs, played by Nadia Linton (12, YPAS), told a tragic love story. She waited for the man she loved, unaware that he had died in battle and remained in her home until she eventually died of a broken heart. Her tearful, quiet and solemn story brought a sense of sadness and romance to the production.
The Nash Crash scene, performed by Amari Retter (11, YPAS) and Elijah Hutchins (11, YPAS), presented a more modern and realistic tragedy involving two friends in a car accident. The scene took a more humorous approach, with ghosts not taking their deaths seriously, adding a lighter tone.
Additional scenes included Armstrong with Eisenback and Tristan Meredith (12, YPAS); Gravedigger with David Pellman (12, HSU); and Ghost Dance with Kenyon Stewart (12, YPAS) and Joselin Dominguez (12, YPAS).
Maya Williamson (12, YPAS) described the processes as extremely challenging.
“Ghosts in the Annex was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life because we single-handedly created the entire thing. There wasn’t even a premise when we started, only one request from our theatre teacher,” Williamson said.
Expanding on that, Williamson found that starting from scratch was the greatest challenge among others.
“We wrote, directed, created props and created the pathways entirely on our own. While it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, it was definitely the most rewarding. Having people respond positively to something you’ve poured your soul into for months is one of the best feelings in the world,” Williamson said.
Overall, the YPAS theatre students delivered an impressive performance in “Ghosts in the Annex.” It was a well-executed production that I truly enjoyed from beginning to end. Next year, audiences should definitely take the time to experience it for themselves
