McCallie and GPS Middle School Theater will present the play Scared Silly! on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Black Box.
Directed by Jason Tinney, Scared Silly! is a collection of eight hauntingly hilarious short plays that poke fun at classic horror and thriller genres. A mysterious serial killer terrorizes Chattanooga, strangling his or her victims with garden hoses. Teen paranormal investigators find themselves trapped inside a haunted house and come face to face with a legendary sorceress, walking mannequins, a half-human half-cat and her ravenous imps disguised as squirrels. Unsuspecting diners at a burger joint become embroiled in a sinister plot that may raise the question: just where does the ground beef come from? Aliens hatch a plot to take over earth by turning humans into zombies using a most terrifying weapon – corndogs. These are just some of the zany predicaments that ensnare the characters.
“The plays are heavy in the silly department,” Mr. Tinney says. Scared Silly! was written by the same playwrights that brought audiences last spring’s smash hit, The Alibis, directed by Holly Morse Ellington.
“When Ms. Morse-Ellington and I began working with the middle school students back in 2019, we realized very early on that our students operate on elevated levels in many arenas so it’s been our goal to find scripts – and in some cases write them ourselves – that challenge our student actors,” says Mr. Tinney, adding, “And also are a lot of fun.”
As with The Alibis, Scared Silly! has a cast and crew of over 50 students. “We’ve got a great ensemble of talented actors and a very tenacious and motivated technical crew,” says Mr. Tinney. “We began rehearsals in January and in a short amount of time we’ve come a very long way. I’ve been very impressed by everyone’s focus and dedication to this production.”
Mr. Tinney gives much of the credit to the leadership of his assistant directors, Ben Bilderback (’23) and Ellie Odle (’23), and his stage managers, Sye Simmons (’26) and Svenyarose Friebner-Mueller (’26) – the “Scared Squad” as he refers to them.
“I have been unbelievably fortunate to have these four upper school students by my side,” Mr. Tinney says. “The creative input, the contributions behind the scenes, and their commitment has been invaluable.”
All McCallie and GPS students, faculty, and staff will be admitted free, all others, $5 General Admission. Tickets may be reserved here.