Each year, MSMS juniors enrolled in the Tales from the Crypt history class give hundreds of people a glimpse into Mississippi’s history through music and performances in Friendship Cemetery in Columbus. These students use the first semester of the course to do research in the local archives and write research papers on subjects who are buried in Friendship Cemetery. In the second semester, they put together a tour of historical performances, complete with student tour guides and parking attendants, that people come from around the country to see.

To decide which students perform a self-written portrayal of their research subject, auditions are held at the start of the second semester. This year, the auditions are on Jan. 18 and Jan. 20 from 7-9 p.m. The students audition in front of a panel of judges who were participants in the Tales project the previous year; Tales teacher Chuck Yarborough picks these judges and mentors his students through the research and performance aspects of his class.

This year’s judges are Dajah Carter, Jacob McDonald, West Givens, Kameron Shook, Brenna Paola, Tiana Spivey, Sasha Edwards, Lauren Hill, Hannah Hardwick, Nathan Methvin, Jasmine King, Liz Lanford, Angie Harri, Raksha Chatakondi, Jake Bozlee and Caleb Marshall.

Tyler Hartman, current Tales student, is the first to audition for this year’s Tales from the Crypt performances. “My favorite part of Tales first semester was going to the library to research. I’m looking forward to the performances the most,” he said.

Senior Hakeem Mikle participated in Tales from the Crypt last year and said, “Getting to see everyone act as their research subject was amazing. It brought the history to life.” He offered, “To the juniors about to audition, I would say to make sure you put emotion into your performance. Make the audience and the judges believe you are your character. Don’t just play the part, be the part.”

The Tales from the Crypt performances will take place on Wednesdays and Fridays, starting on March 30 and with final performances on April 8. They are a major attraction during Pilgrimage Week.