What Happens When You Mix Theater, Engineering & Imagination?
Step into a theater production, and you’ll discover more than actors, scripts, and costumes. Behind the scenes, there’s a fusion of creativity and problem-solving that often goes unseen. This fall’s Haunted Studio production is a prime example—a place where artistry, engineering, and imagination come together, showing how STEAM learning can take center stage in unexpected ways.
Where Creativity Meets Problem-Solving
The Haunted Studio isn’t simply about giving audiences a scare—it’s about teaching students how to build an experience from the ground up. They aren’t just performers; they’re designers, builders, and engineers. One group may be sketching out eerie set designs, while another is learning how to program light cues or sync sound effects to the action. Even the fog machines and special effects are part of their work.
This process turns the theater into a real-world lab. Every decision—how to angle a spotlight, how to make a hallway look spooky, or how to time a sudden sound—becomes a practical lesson in science, technology, engineering, art, and math. It’s hands-on learning with immediate results.
Skills That Go Beyond the Stage
Productions like Haunted Studio give students a chance to gain experiences that will serve them well beyond theater:
Innovation in action – When something doesn’t work as planned, students learn to adjust, adapt, and create solutions.
Team-based learning – A production only succeeds when everyone, from stagehands to actors, works together seamlessly.
Confidence through doing – Presenting their work to a live audience reinforces skills and builds pride in what they’ve accomplished.
These skills aren’t just valuable in the arts—they’re the kind of competencies that carry over into school, careers, and everyday life.
Haunted Studio: A Classroom You Can Walk Through
Unlike a traditional classroom, Haunted Studio feels alive. Every hallway, every sound, and every lighting trick has been crafted by students under the guidance of professionals. It’s both a performance for the community and a training ground for the next generation of creators, technicians, and problem-solvers.
Students don’t just read about STEAM concepts in a book—they live them. The audience may see a chilling haunted house experience, but behind it all are lessons in circuitry, design, timing, storytelling, and collaboration. That’s what makes this production more than seasonal entertainment—it’s education in action.
By bringing together theater, engineering, and imagination, Haunted Studio shows that learning doesn’t have to stay confined to a desk. It can be built with your hands, tested under pressure, and shared with an audience that feels the impact.
👉 Don’t just hear about it—come experience Haunted Studio for yourself. Learn more and get involved atJDS Creative Academy.
