Something I picked up quickly when I first started getting into haunt was the times of year that things were happening. When haunted attractions are live and open, it's referred to as "Haunt Season" (which, in the south and to my great displeasure, is always misheard as "hunting season"). Haunt season begins at different times for different people. For the actors, behind the scenes crew and volunteers, haunt season usually begins in the first week of September through the first week of November, but for the owners and creative team, haunt season starts up in February or March and lasts until the first week of December. (This doesn't include conventions and special events which are scattered throughout the year specifically for haunters.)
For the cast, crew, and volunteers, auditions will usually roll around in the first week of September, giving the haunt enough time to hire them, train their cast, and have early opening dates for that year's haunt. This means that, technically, a cast member's haunt season may actually start a few weeks prior to September if they intend on performing a monologue or creating a portfolio for any makeup/costuming positions. In my case, the 2017 haunt season ended in November, but I know I want to create an entirely different type of character for next year, so I've already started taking fitness classes and working on my monologue. (I'm so horrible to myself, refusing to take a break.)
For owners and creative team members, they have a small break between December and February to enjoy the holidays, rest their brains, reconnect with neglected friends and family, and somehow find the sanity they lost during the last haunt season before having to nose dive back into it again.
(Note to fellow haunters: Please give your owners and creative team some love. There's nobody above them to cheer them on and pat their backs, so please don't hesitate to tell them they're doing a good job. Thanks!)
Between February and August, the owners and creative team are working long nights and a shit ton of hours to come up with any changes for the next season, create new characters and storylines (if you're a story driven haunt) to fit these changes, budget for the upcoming year, bring all the pieces together and make these changes a reality all while organizing and putting on any pre-season training programs and auditions. Another thing the owners and creative team may do, which I just found out about recently, is travel to other haunts and sell the creative rights to any characters, scenes, or escape games (which I will talk more about in another post) to boost the budget for the upcoming year. So, did all of that kind of make your head spin? If so, just imagine how your owners and creative team feel.
From September through November, the owners and creative team are consumed by auditions, training, and running the show every night as well as interacting with customers and being the face of the haunt. Of course, some of these people will double as actors some nights, but even then, they must remember that they are the only lifeline if the show starts to fall apart.
After the last show of the season has ended and everyone has returned to their regular lives, owners and the creative team have to assess everything that happened during the season, begin budgeting and planning for next year, fix and repair any damages to the sets, costumes, and props, and (if applicable) plan an end of season cast party/award ceremony. Until all of that is over, the season doesn't end for those at the top of the totem pole.
All of this is why it grinds my gears when non-haunters view haunt season as "just the month of October" when you mention how busy and hectic your haunt season schedule is. So much time and work goes into working in a haunted attraction. For some, it becomes a full time, year round job (but don't think that's always the case and quit your day job). It takes true dedication and a lot of sacrifice to do this incredible job and to survive haunt season.
Let's have a conversation! Leave a comment below. What do you think? Did I forget anything? Are there any specific parts you want me to write more about? How does your haunt season look compared to what I've experienced so far?
-Jaz ☾
For the cast, crew, and volunteers, auditions will usually roll around in the first week of September, giving the haunt enough time to hire them, train their cast, and have early opening dates for that year's haunt. This means that, technically, a cast member's haunt season may actually start a few weeks prior to September if they intend on performing a monologue or creating a portfolio for any makeup/costuming positions. In my case, the 2017 haunt season ended in November, but I know I want to create an entirely different type of character for next year, so I've already started taking fitness classes and working on my monologue. (I'm so horrible to myself, refusing to take a break.)
For owners and creative team members, they have a small break between December and February to enjoy the holidays, rest their brains, reconnect with neglected friends and family, and somehow find the sanity they lost during the last haunt season before having to nose dive back into it again.
(Note to fellow haunters: Please give your owners and creative team some love. There's nobody above them to cheer them on and pat their backs, so please don't hesitate to tell them they're doing a good job. Thanks!)
Between February and August, the owners and creative team are working long nights and a shit ton of hours to come up with any changes for the next season, create new characters and storylines (if you're a story driven haunt) to fit these changes, budget for the upcoming year, bring all the pieces together and make these changes a reality all while organizing and putting on any pre-season training programs and auditions. Another thing the owners and creative team may do, which I just found out about recently, is travel to other haunts and sell the creative rights to any characters, scenes, or escape games (which I will talk more about in another post) to boost the budget for the upcoming year. So, did all of that kind of make your head spin? If so, just imagine how your owners and creative team feel.
From September through November, the owners and creative team are consumed by auditions, training, and running the show every night as well as interacting with customers and being the face of the haunt. Of course, some of these people will double as actors some nights, but even then, they must remember that they are the only lifeline if the show starts to fall apart.
After the last show of the season has ended and everyone has returned to their regular lives, owners and the creative team have to assess everything that happened during the season, begin budgeting and planning for next year, fix and repair any damages to the sets, costumes, and props, and (if applicable) plan an end of season cast party/award ceremony. Until all of that is over, the season doesn't end for those at the top of the totem pole.
All of this is why it grinds my gears when non-haunters view haunt season as "just the month of October" when you mention how busy and hectic your haunt season schedule is. So much time and work goes into working in a haunted attraction. For some, it becomes a full time, year round job (but don't think that's always the case and quit your day job). It takes true dedication and a lot of sacrifice to do this incredible job and to survive haunt season.
Let's have a conversation! Leave a comment below. What do you think? Did I forget anything? Are there any specific parts you want me to write more about? How does your haunt season look compared to what I've experienced so far?
-Jaz ☾
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