Tigard Theatre Brings Back Haunted House With Backstage Creativity and Community Giving

Our Tigard High School theatre department is bringing backstage creativity into the spotlight with our second annual interactive haunted house. Join us Oct. 23, 24, 30 and 31 from 5 to 7 p.m. for scare rooms, family activities and a chance to help local families while supporting our student performers and technicians.

The haunted house brings together Tech, Recording Production and our Thespian Troupe as both a project for our CTE Tech/Recording Production Design class and a troupe fundraiser. Set construction, costumes and technical design are central to the experience: scenery establishes the setting, costumes help bring characters to life, and technical elements shape the atmosphere. For our students, the project connects backstage work with an interactive experience built for an audience, giving each part of the theatre team a role in telling the story.

There’s more than a scare waiting for visitors. Trick-or-treat stations, face painting and coloring stations will offer activities for the whole family alongside the scare rooms. The event will take place behind the Deb Fennel Auditorium on the pool side, with entry through the old cafeteria, at 9000 SW Durham Road in Tigard. General admission is $10, with a 50% discount for anyone who brings a canned food or nonperishable food item.

All donated food will go to Packed With Pride food pantry. Last year, we collected more than 400 pounds of canned food to help families in our community while also raising money for our Tigard Thespian Troupe. The fundraiser helps cover student participation in events such as Instafest, Regionals and State, connecting this local project with additional theatre experiences beyond our school.

Our first haunted house also gave students experience working with other Thespian troupes to make the event a success. Students took that experience to the Oregon State, where they presented and placed for Hounor Troupe. This year, we’re building on what they learned while promoting our Career and College pathway through outreach to the chamber of commerce, the city of Tigard and local businesses.

Our goal is to grow the event, give students a fun and creative way to volunteer, and double last year’s food collection for our community and families. Every donated item contributes to that effort. Bring something for the pantry, explore the activities and see how our students’ backstage work helps turn a theatre project into a community gathering.