We appreciate your interest in being a part of the Mohican Haunted Schoolhouse actor/staff family! No matter how cool the site (and the schoolhouse IS cool) and how good the props and special effects (and ours are both distinctive and getting better EVERY year), actors and staff are the LIFEBLOOD of any haunted attraction. We cannot exist without our family of hard-working, dedicated, and enthusiastic actors and staff and we are ALWAYS excited to welcome a few more likeminded individuals into the fold. That being said, acting at a haunted attraction isn't for everyone and more importantly, working at THIS SPECIFIC haunted attraction isn't for everyone.
For the sake of respecting both your time and ours, the rest of this page IS CONSIDERED ESSENTIAL READING BEFORE YOU REQUEST CONSIDERATION FOR A ROLE IN OUR HAUNT. Frequently asked actor/staff questions (FAAQs) will follow at the end.
WHAT YOU GET: While we'd like to say the biggest perk of all is being a part of our haunt family, we both understand and believe it is important to compensate EVERY actor and staff member for the time, energy, and emotion they contribute to our business. As such, all actors and staff, AS EMPLOYEES*, receive a stipend for every complete shift they work, along with snacks and drinks throughout their shift, and a meal at the end of the night (no need to desperately search for the only fast-food place open 12:30-1:00am at the end of a shift). Other perks may include awards and/or bonuses (typically swag, sometimes monetary) for above-and-beyond efforts, perfect/strong attendance, etc. and invitation to a fun end-of-season celebration and other similar events throughout the year. For what it is worth, while no one goes into the haunting industry to get rich, we have been told by multiple long-time haunt industry veterans that our actors/staff are treated second-to-none.
WHAT WE EXPECT: We are are an established, upper-tier haunt that prices our tickets for customers accordingly; as such we owe our customers a PROFESSIONAL experience with PROFESSIONAL employees*. We expect these EMPLOYEES* to be: 1. CONSISTENT. 2. COHESIVE. 3: COOPERATIVE.
EMPLOYEES - Our acting/staff positions are paid employment opportunities because we owe our customers a PROFESSIONAL product when they come through our doors. We expect our employees to show up to shifts they sign up for on-time and ready-to-work. We operate on a QUALITY vs. QUANTITY principle; we work to give every actor and staff member an important role and when those people fail to follow through, it has an immediate negative effect on our end-product.
CONSISTENT - It doesn't matter how good you are as an actor if you aren't here. We are only open 14 days any given season and customers expect to see a well-staffed haunt when they come on through. While we accommodate emergencies, absent these reasons, we have a 'No Show, No Call, No Return' policy. Simply put, if you are unable to show up for your shift, and you do not give ADVANCED notice (it does us ZERO good to hear from you 15 minutes before we open our doors), you will NOT be allowed to return for the season. Please ensure you have fully-mapped out any other commitments, have access to any necessary transportation, have any caretaking obligations taken care of (kids, pets, otherwise), etc. BEFORE pursuing a role with our haunt.
COHESIVE - As anyone who has ever participated within a theatre group can attest, with the benefits of great energy and creativity individuals can bring, there can often be the negatives of EGO and DRAMA. "There's no 'I' in TEAM." Sure it is a cliché, but the statement still holds true. We need actors who are respectful of others on staff (even if they would approach a role/scare in a very different way), are team-first, and contribute to an overall positive workplace energy. We all know how quickly the drama kings & queens who make a mountain out of every molehill & are relentlessly negative can poison a staff, clubhouse, etc. and we will move quickly to address issues (at first likely by constructive criticism, but later by dismissal) before they get out of hand.
COOPERATIVE - We need individuals who are going to respect both the rules and the vision of this haunt. We also need people willing to do what is best for the whole. There may be a situation where for whatever reason, your current role/zone just isn't working out and we may want to place you somewhere else. Similarly, actors/staff can sometimes no-show and we might need to temporarily move you to fill a gap elsewhere. We need people who are going to be agreeable and flexible in these circumstances. There's too much else going on to have these situations subject to debate or arguments. Trust us when we say we recognize & remember those willing to step up and go the extra mile.
FREQUENTLY ASKED ACTOR/STAFF QUESTIONS (FAAQs):
Q. You mention actors & staff in the description above. What roles exist at Mohican Haunted Schoolhouse and what do they entail?
A. While we are primarily seeking actors at any given time, we also have a number of non-acting roles occasionally available for folks who want to work with a haunt, but don't like to act or want to work their way up to it. For actors, expect to show up on your scheduled nights between 6 and 6:30pm for makeup and pre-shift updates. Doors open at 7pm and actors are relieved as soon as the last customers exit (typically no later than midnight and often earlier). Aside from as-needed restroom breaks, expect to work a rigorous 4+ hour stretch. While we will typically assign new actors to locations that need people the most, we tend to provide a good degree of flexibility in the type of character and approach you want to take; reliable and good actors will continue to find greater flexibility & can be promoted to more desired locations if/when opportunities emerge. Non-actor roles can include: Makeup Artist, Parking Lot Assistant, Metal Detector Assistant, and Ticket/Gift Shop Vendor.
Q. What kind of acting/haunt experience, if any, is required?
A. Prior experience is not required; we can work to develop your acting skills and confidence, but we can't fix deficits in reliability & enthusiasm so those are WAY more important qualities in anyone who works for our haunt. Furthermore, some of our most innovative, energizing, and effective actors every season are brand new, and some of those applicants "with experience at multiple haunts" have experience at so many haunts because nobody wants to bring them back due to factors like outsized egos, unwillingness to work with others, missing too many shifts/not being on time, not following rules, etc. Don't get us wrong, we LOVE folks who come with the right attitude AND previous haunt experience, but we have PLENTY of folks in our family who started brand new at our haunt and do GREAT!
Q. How old do actors need to be?
A. Actors/staff need to be 16 or older. Unfortunately, there is no flexibility with this rule. We encourage you to reach out when you will be 16 for the Halloween season.
Q. What are your attendance expectations? How can I make sure I do not wind up a persona-non-grata due to being deemed unreliable?
A. We don't expect you to sign up for a shift EVERY night, but we DO expect you to attend every shift you DO sign up for barring illness and/or family emergency. We also expect you to want to work at least a majority of available shifts. It takes time and energy, typically several hours, for training, answering questions, etc. on both your end and ours and it really doesn't make sense to put in this effort if you are only interested in working a shift or two all season. At bare minimum this means working 50% of available nights and ideally we'd prefer at least 75% of available nights (and if you are joining on the last week or two of the season, we'd expect you to work all remaining days).
BEFORE signing up for any shifts, IT IS EXPECTED THAT YOU THOROUGHLY REVIEW YOUR PRE-EXISTING OBLIGATIONS. It is astounding how many people will sign up for a weekend and then cancel because they forgot they were out of town on vacation, watching a relative's kids, had tickets to a sporting event/concert, etc. Please take committing to a shift seriously. Once you have signed up, if you DO need to cancel, you need to do so as soon as possible. Don't wait until minutes, hours, or even a day before your shift to cancel for something that you obviously knew about several days/weeks in advance. Illness and family emergencies are reasonable excuses, but again, if you are extremely sick a day out from your shift, don't wait until the last minute hoping a miracle-recovery will occur only to ultimately cancel; let us know. Regardless of whether the absence is reasonable or not, there is almost no situation where it is excusable to not give us advance notice. Aside from extreme situations, as mentioned above, No Show + No Call = No Return. We don't aim to be mean with this rule, but we CANNOT afford to have unreasonable no shows ruin the experience for our customers.
If we haven't scared you away with everything above (we promise we're not that bad; we've just been stung fairly often), you are welcome to contact us via Facebook or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . THAT BEING SAID, we are incredibly busy during the haunt season as our operation is already in full force. It takes lots of time, coordination, training, and energy to on-board new talent in a way that ensures they are having a meaningful experience while also providing a value-added impact on the haunt. What this means is that it could take AT LEAST 1 week from initial contact before you would be brought on. We appreciate your patience! We typically put out a call for actors throughout the summer on Facebook and this is the easiest way to be incorporated and ready to go by Day 1 of the haunt season.
