‘This is not a Minstrel’ celebrates African-American culture

The Africana Theatre Laboratory will be presenting its two-day production of ‘This is Not a Minstrel’ beginning Thursday at the Christian Moe Lab Theater in the Communications Building at 7:30 p.m. with a second show Friday at the same time.

The production features 15 performers and includes reenactments of the Trayvon Martin case as well as the recent events in Ferguson, Mo. with the death of Mike Brown and events following.

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The performance focuses on the African American lifestyle in modern day America and touches on  slavery issues, the conflict between African Americans and Whites in schools and struggles in modern day society.

The event will also include an art show and various poetic pieces to go along with a theatrical performance.

Modupe Ogunyemi, president of the Registered Student Organization, said ATL is based around “Africana” and emphasizes black culture on the American stage.

“We plan to do [the production] every semester as an opening to invite people to come and join our RSO, as well as to see who we are and what we do,” she said.

This is the second time ATL will be performing the piece.

Haunted Houses in the surrounding area

Cellblock Haunted House

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Five years ago, an old roller rink off of Illinois Route 148 in Herrin was transformed into an epicenter of fear and terror.

Enclosed areas, darkness, fog and live actors are just some of the tools Cellblock Haunted House uses to attack the senses.

Cellblock, owned by Slaughterhouse Productions, is a prison-themed haunted house. This is the second year using the prison theme. It got its start 15 years ago in the Las Vegas area and after 10 years, the owner moved to southern Illinois to be closer to family.

Donald Brady, a senior from Chicago studying social work, manages the haunted house. He has been managing Cellblock for two years now. Brady said he oversees everything going on within the haunted house.

Cellblock is more of a traditional haunted house, Brady said. It does not have any animatronics or fancy things that big-budget haunted houses have. The house has to use the available talent and skills they have to scare people.

Brady said his favorite part of running a haunted house was seeing people’s emotions change. People have a range of emotions that hit them when going through the house. They are hesitant to walk in and walk out with a frightening experience, he said.

Cellblock costs $15 and is open Friday and Saturday from 7 p.m. to midnight and Sunday from 7-10 p.m.

Chittyville School Haunted House

Visitors of Chittyville School Haunted House in Herrin can expect 30 minutes of a variety of fears and excitement. Everything from blood-sucking vampires to fear-stricken zombies inhabit Chittyville School Haunted House.

Sammie King, owner and operator of the haunted house, has operated Chittyville for about 10 seasons. The idea for the house started from a passion for Halloween and escalated from there.

The haunted house is not all school themed, King said. It only has school themes in it. Chittyville is broken up into three sections, each section representing a specific age group.

The Haunted School is one of the sections. This section is based around a local legend involving the school itself. Each year, about a third of this section is changed, King said.

The next part is called Spookytown. King said Spookytown is set up for children, parents and anyone who is scared easily. It is a zombie hunting experience where the zombies are afraid of the kids.

The last section is called The Lair. The Lair is the more extreme part of this haunted house, set up for those of an older age. It is partially outdoors and this years theme includes werewolves and vampires.

The Chittyville School Haunted House is open from Thursday through Saturday. Spookytown opens at 6:30 p.m. and costs $8. The Haunted School opens at 7 p.m. and is $15. The Lair opens at 7:30 p.m. and costs $10.