LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Tales of the Crypt has been an annual October tradition at Mount Holly Cemetery since 1995— until the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to it two years ago.
A rehearsal will be held on Tuesday, October 4 at 9:45 a.m., and the performance will be on Sunday, October 9 from 2-4 p.m. at Mount Holly. Tours will end at 5 p.m.
This year, they are excited to invite student actors from Parkview Arts/Science Magnet High School Drama Department to perform vignettes from the lives of Arkansans now buried at Mount Holly.
Under the direction of Tamara Zinck, the students researched their subjects and prepared scripts based on personal facts about their lives and the general history of their times.
Student guides will lead viewers to different performance sites around the grounds, providing history and context along the way.
Some tour paths cover uneven ground, so good walking shoes are strongly encouraged.
The following residents of Mount Holly will be portrayed:
East Side Tour
- John Gould Fletcher & Charlie May Simon performed by Diego Ladino & Baylee Castleberry
- Sallie Faulkner & Sanborn Faulkner performed by Moriah Mitchell & Whit Weatherton
- David Owen Dodd performed by Michael Hatfield
- Dovenia Skelton Kirby & Annie Skelton performed by Lucy Eells & Lila Bass
- Frank & Eliza Miller performed by Richard Baird & Zaryah Smith
- Henry & Susan Springs performed by Keith McGee & Mckenzie Landry
West Side Tour
- Nathan & Ann Warren performed by Derrick Billingsley & Marionna Parker
- Eliza Hall Caulder performed by Angelina Bearden
- Quatie Ross & John Ross performed by Dayana Torres & Dylan Sykes
- George Craigen & Maria Rebecca Craigen performed by Marseiko Jackson & Camille Gardner
- Jesse & Louisa Clark Brown performed by Avery Turner & Fiona McFarlane
- Hazel Wilson Burr performed by Beatrice Robinson
The entrance for the event will be through the 13th Street Gate on the south side of the cemetery, and visitors can exit through the Gaines Street Gate on the west side. The Broadway Gate will not be accessible.
The event will be free and open to the public— although contributions are accepted.
To learn more, please contact Drama Teacher Tamara Zinck at Tamara.Zinck@lrsd.org or Judy Goss, President of Mount Holly Cemetery Association at judybgoss@gmail.com.