The Haunting of Hill House coming soon to UTRGV

Timothy Chapman

A horror, thriller production from UTRGV Department of Theatre called The Haunting of Hill House will come Oct. 20 to 29 in the Jeffers Theatre located on the Edinburg campus.

UTRGV Theatre Professor and Director of The Haunting of Hill House Brian Warren said the play is based on a classic horror book of the same name by Shirley Jackson, where a group of people go to the Hill House to investigate the paranormal and end up finding more than they bargained for.

“What it is, is yes this is a haunted dwelling, but it also reflects and sort of absorbs the psyches of the people that are in the house, especially the main character,” Warren said. “So, it’s different in that sense. If people are thinking, you know, it’s just Casper the Friendly Ghost flying around, it’s more of a psychological horror story.”

A lot of thought and consideration went into choosing which plays to do for this theatre season. He explained, with Halloween coming up, it was a relatively simple decision.

“This is frightening, but it’s also a classic,” Warren said. “So, anyone that’s worked on it will remember the story. It’s part of the American cultural: literary milieu of what people should know.”

Actor Ashley Cantu, who will be playing Eleanor Vance, expressed what her character goes through in the play with creepy events, such as the haunted house choosing her out of everyone in the group to be hunted.

“She [Eleanor Vance] changes a lot throughout the play, and it’s all because of the house,” Cantu said. “She’s very shy, and she’s very timid. Then, at the end, she does a complete 180 from all of that. It’s exactly because of the house really goes into her mind, and it does things that you wouldn’t expect.

The Haunting of Hill House set almost finished in the Jeffers Theatre UTRGV Edinburg Campus on Oct.12
Timothy Chapman / Vaquero Radio

Stage Manager Karina Molina said she has been hands on in preparing for this play, including helping build parts of the set and making sure to emphasize how much teamwork goes into it.

To simply summarize exactly what her role is, Molina said she does everything.

“I’m calling the show,” Molina said. “So, I’m calling every single cue, every actor’s entrances, every light cue, sound cue. Even to the moment the doors open, the house doors and the house lights turn on. And during the rehearsal process, I just make sure we have everything we need and is ready for rehearsal.”