Paxton Manor Prepares for Halloween

It takes time, commitment and patience to become really good at something, which is exactly why auditions were held Friday night for the upcoming Paxton Manor haunted house.

Event Organizer Jennifer Lassiter said that although Halloween is still three months away it’s never too soon to prepare. This year’s event is going to be bigger than last year’s, she said, and will feature a fun house, a casket burial simulator, as well as 40 frightening rooms inside the manor, including the dirt basement.

“When people think of haunted houses they think of a zombie chasing you with a chainsaw,” Lassiter said. “Paxton Manor is a lot more than that. We have an entire production that I wish I could tell you.”  

Last year, attracted thousands of people who were looking for a good scare. Twenty rooms were available and featured a variety of phobias such as spiders, clowns, snakes and claustrophobia.

Although the event was a great success, Lassiter said volunteers are doing everything they can to make this year's event even better.

“We thought we could provide an even better show if we auditioned for particular parts instead of just using volunteers who wanted to help out,” Lassiter said. “If we use volunteers who have a dramatic background we could really maximize what we’re doing in the mansion.”

To help make the process go smoother Sterling Playmakers Director Jim Whitmore offered to lend a hand. A number of scripts were made available to actors who wished to participate this year. Monologues were the first step, followed by a two person scene.

“We’d like to have some trained actors in places that are the key positions. They should be good story tellers, be able to not only tell the story but be able to really become the tale through actions, through movements,” Whitmore described. “On the inside we’ll have a number of key roles. We’re going to have people in key places to keep the lines moving, to keep the story fresh and to really enhance the tour. We’re trying to get about forty actors in here. We have about 40 rooms. If we get more that would be great but we’ll see how it works out as far as auditions.”

At least twenty male and female leads are available including storytellers and fun house volunteers. Help is also needed for costumes, makeup, and set designs, among other things.

Actors must have the ability to dialogue with a live audience and be available for a number of shows. The event will run for five weekends beginning the last weekend in September, however, actors are not required to attend every show.  

“October is a very busy time for many, many people. So we try to get it in early to make sure that we have quality actors,” Whitmore said. “Now people can set their schedules. Now we can get the people who are interested in it and we can still have time for call backs and to fill in spots. The lead actors will have some lines to memorize. They are going to carry their elements through their posture, through their delivery and that’s important to see who we have, lock them into place, and get them trained.”

A second audition is scheduled to take place this Saturday from 10 am to 3 pm inside the Paxton Manor home. Anyone who is interested in attending should be prepared to perform a simple monologue and scene.

There will also be an opportunity to work with professional fight choreographer, Terry Smith, who is looking for a few good leads when it comes to sword fighting.

"All of the fights will be choreographed. The fights will be crisp and clean and they’ll look real,” Smith said. “[The actors] will actually fight and if they miss they could actually get hurt. The idea though is to make it safe and as real as possible.”

Similar to last year, proceeds will benefit The Paxton Campus, which include the Aurora School, the Open Door Learning Center and the Advocacy Center. Ticket prices have yet to be determined but will be worth the price that's paid.

“The entire purpose of Shocktober and Paxton Manor is to raise money for the campus. That’s really why we’re trying to make it even bigger and better than ever,” Lassiter said. “We want everyone not only to come and have fun but to raise money for this excellent cause.

“This is a PG-13 haunted house. It’s not for little kids. Not because of language but because of the gore value or gore factor,” Whitmore added. “I’m really looking for the reaction of people coming through to see if they got their scare for their money and that they enjoyed it enough to tell their friends and come back again. As long as they are scared when they walk out I think we’ve done our job.”