Nightmare on C Street spooks campus on Halloween Eve

Photo+by+Coby+Berg%2FThe+Simpsonian

Photo by Coby Berg/The Simpsonian

by Coby Berg, Staff Writer

The honorary theatre fraternity, Alpha Psi Omega (APO), continued a tradition for a fourth consecutive year with its Halloween  event, Nightmare on C Street.

The event is based off of the popular podcast, “Welcome to Night Vale,” while incorporating Simpson lore into a performance that imitates that of an actual Simpson tour.

Nightmare on C Street started in the fall of 2015 with a group of APO members wanting to imitate the podcast with their own perspective.

“We based the tour that we give off the actual tours that Simpson gives their perspective students,” said senior Addison Grant, secretary of APO. “We add these characters with their own personas to tie it all together.”

Junior Zoe Murphy, a member of the Alpha Psi Omega theatre fraternity, was one of the featured performers during Nightmare on C Street. Photo by Coby Berg/The Simpsonian

Two tour guides show the audience around Simpson College like a normal tour but make satirical references to events that Simpson students would know, such as the recent department cuts.

“A large portion that the tour guides talk about is improv,” said Elise Tauer, a member of the activities committee for APO. “We come up with a script and jokes, but this is more of in the moment acting where we react to how the audience takes the jokes.”

Each year, the cast would add parts or change jokes to make it relevant, but the tour has stayed somewhat consistent because it is based off of the Simpson tours.

“Each year, since we are adding new things, we need to check with Simpson to let them know what is happening,” said Livie Gordon, head of the activity committee for APO. “If we want to do something with the racket ball courts, then we need to make sure that we check them out for the event.”

This event isn’t just to entertain Simpson students.

APO works on giving its students an experience to connect to when they graduate and enter the workforce.

“When we have jobs after college, we all have to work in groups,” Gordon said. “APO and these kinds of events give them that collaborative leadership mixed with creativity to really help them excel later in life.”

The group saw a record number of students who participated in the tours this year and hopes to keep the event going for years to come.