Tales from the Crypt has set its 2018 cast. The week of January 15, over fifty juniors auditioned for the community service performance event annually that attracts thousands of people from all over the nation.

Founded by the late Charles Butler, it is hosted by the U.S. History Tales class, where the students spent their first semester researching the life of the people buried in Columbus’ Friendship Cemetery. This semester, after the tedious process of writing research papers, the students produced self-written scripts pertaining to an aspect of their research subject’s life that would be auditioned in front of a judge panel of past Tales performers for a spot as an individual Tales performer or a Declaration Day Lady. The current teacher, Chuck Yarborough, carries out the legacy of the Tales project with public performances beginning in April, the first one on April 6.

Students, who all play a part from performers to tour guides, believe that the performance aspect is a good reward for all of the hard work completed first semester.

Junior Kiera Monroe stated,“I would say that first semester was harder than the second only because we had to complete research hours and of course, the research paper, but because of that, writing a script and auditioning was not hard at all. I really enjoyed it, even though it was nerve-racking. The competition, I will say, was off the charts! There were some creative scripts, some more comedic than others or topics more serious and thought provoking. Sadly, I did not get a part as an individual performer; however, I did get a part as one of the Declaration Day ladies, which basically were the ladies who started the tradition of putting flowers on the graves. At first I was like why so much work, but now I’m like why not? I am so appreciative of the Tales project.”

Even though not everyone received a performing part, students come together to support each other and make the experience a success.

“Tales took a lot of hard work, dedication and time. After the first semester, the script was a breeze; however, performing took a lot courage, but I would say there was tough competition. Everyone who got a part deserved it, and I am proud of my classmates. I hope everything comes together for the final performances, and we all can’t wait for April. The hard work is just starting!” Tyra Lockett said.

Each student who receives a part has to make the character his or her own. Instead of simply playing a role, they seem to become the character.

“Even though getting a part was important to me, if I hadn’t gotten one, I wouldn’t have been upset about it. Getting a part though did mean a lot to me. My script was easy to prepare because it was based on facts from my research with a twist of emotions,” described Erin Williams.

“Even though getting a part was important to me, if I hadn’t gotten one, I wouldn’t have been upset about it. Getting a part though did mean a lot to me. My script was easy to prepare because it was based on facts from my research with a twist of emotions,” described Erin Williams.

The full cast list is as follows: