Halloween is one of the most highly anticipated holidays, especially for students. Who doesn’t love dressing up, stuffing your face with candy, and most importantly: subjecting yourself to terror for entertainment?
Well, if you enjoy that spine-chilling feeling of being absolutely horrified, then you must stop by Troupe 60’s Haunted House. As Halloween comes around the corner at Boulder High, Troupe 60 works away on their infamous Haunted House, the most popular theater production of the year! Without fail, there is always a line wrapping around the block with community members ranging from Middle schoolers to CU students to adults, all coming to see the new year’s horrors.
The annual Haunted House changes themes every year, and this time the directors went above and beyond in crafting a terrifying backstory:
Once upon a time, around 1923, there lived three little girls who had a precious toy box. They would play with their toys every day, until one day, they stopped. The toys loved to play, and they missed their friends more and more as their chest was locked, and put in the attic. Over time, the toys grew resentful and angry that they had been abandoned, and when the lock on their box finally broke, they chose to take over Boulder High School’s theater Troupe 60. Now, 100 years later, the toys have decided to play with you. Welcome to the Toy Box.
This creepy backstory was written by Kaya Surden ‘25, one of the three student directors this year, also including Eliana Monahan ‘25, and Ila Parkin‘24. They are beyond excited for BHS to see the product of their hard work: “People should expect a fun, unique Haunted House that’s both creepy and clever. It’s been very well thought out!” says Surden. Monahan mentioned, “It’s pretty different from last year both in theme, and characters. We have a lot of different rooms but there is a very cohesive storyline throughout [the house], which I think is pretty cool.”
The Haunted House is an ambitious project. Due to Blackbox, the actual production – building the walls and set and auditioning – will not start until two or three weeks before the first night of the Haunted House. All members of Troupe 60 will have to grind to make costumes, collect all the props, and create the notorious maze. It takes a village, namely the amazing Troupe 60 to pull off this daunting task.
Though the Haunted House is arguably the most fun production to participate in, but its more than just a spooky time. Ticket sales directly fund Troupe 60 and by extension their renowned spring musical.
Coming to a Haunted House won’t only fill you with delightful dread, but also helps support Boulder High’s theater department. So make sure you don’t miss The Toy Box! This year’s production will shock you with new, creative, and terrifying ideas. Mark your calendars, because the show dates are the 20th, 21st, 27th, and 28th from 7-10 pm. Come by BHS to have a horrifying time!
