Pictured above: Halle Buckhouse, left, and Gabe Woods, right.
ABERDEEN, S.D. – The stage at Holgate Middle School is set with spiders, skeletons and spooky photos that change before your eyes—it’s all part of “The House of Thrills and Chills,” the fall 2023 production at the Holgate Theater.
But don’t worry: Despite the creepy appearance, student cast members in the play say there’s nothing to fear.
“It’s fun scary,” assured seventh grader Mila Hobbs.
Fellow seventh-grader Halle Buckhouse explained, “It’s a fun, family-friendly comical horror story that is open to all ages.”
“The House of Thrills and Chills” is about a group of teens who run a haunted house—but then the house comes alive, and people start going missing. The play opens Thursday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m., with a second performance at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3. The public is welcome. Cost is $2 for adults and $1 for students. Activity passes are also accepted.
Students will also perform a matinee for fifth-graders on Wednesday, said director Laurel Foster.
Foster, Holgate PE/Health teacher, has been directing Holgate’s plays for the last five years.
“I enjoy it,” she said. “The creativity is really fun. I like working with the kids.”
This year’s play involves over 30 students as part of the cast and crew, who have been rehearsing since September.
Hobbs plays the role of Petra. This is her second year of being in the HMS play, and she enjoys it. 
Pictured: Mila Hobbs
“I like that we practice really often,” she said. “We practice every day of the week besides Tuesday.”
Buckhouse, who was also in last year’s play, has the role of Reed.
“I get to accuse people of stuff; basically be loud and obnoxious all the time,” she said.
Fellow cast member Gabe Woods, an eighth-grader, is also no stranger to the stage— Woods has been in plays all three years of middle school. For this play, he also happens to play a character named Gabe.
“I have 114 lines to remember,” he said.
For both Woods and Buckhouse, being involved in theater is something they greatly enjoy.
“I like taking my life out of the school day and out of the stress, and just coming in here to be a different person, and just putting on a mask and being someone completely new,” Buckhouse said. “And then backstage I can go back to my old self and have fun.”
After five weeks of rehearsals, Woods said, you kind of start to feel like the character.
Both of them struggled with stage fright at first, but they were able to overcome it thanks to the support of Foster.
“Ms. Foster is really like a work of art,” Buckhouse said. “She can turn anyone into an actor.”
About the Aberdeen Public School District
The Aberdeen Public School District provides a comprehensive educational program to approximately 4,200 students in grades K-12, with a mission of empowering all students to succeed in a changing world. Our students receive the knowledge and skills necessary to reach their potential in a global community through high expectations of academic achievement; diverse educational opportunities; and community involvement in a safe, supportive environment. Learn more at aberdeen.k12.sd.us.