SUNY Oswego’s Seventh Annual Oswego Town Rural Cemetery Ghost and History Storyteller Tour will take place on Oct. 29 at 4 p.m.

The storytelling tour is a unique performance which takes place outdoors in an actual cemetery. For the first time ever, this year’s show will take place in a two-act format. The first will take place beneath a tent, and the second will follow the traditional format, a walking tour through the cemetery.

The event will be off campus at the Oswego Town Rural Cemetery at 242 Cemetery Road.

The tour is directed by Jonel Langenfeld, an associate professor of theatre. The performers are all students in her storytelling class, or other theatre students who help as well.

One of the performers in the show, Saul Diaz Cruz, is a junior majoring in theatre and cinema and screen studies. This is his first time involved in the production, and he will be playing two different roles, one in each of the two acts.

Diaz Cruz said that the production focuses on people who have died and who are in some capacity related to Oswego, including SUNY Oswego. He brought up several namesakes of Oswego campus buildings who will be featured, such as Dr. Shineman and Dr. Sheldon.  

Diaz Cruz said the performance was unique because it is outside, bringing about an entirely different environment. Outside and in the dark, he added, they are reliant on flashlights to light the stage for the production, which is entirely different from the stage lighting which a theatre uses.

To attend the production, a free ticket must be reserved online at tickets.oswego.edu. Attendees must park at the reserved lot on campus and take a shuttle to the cemetery, parking at the performance site is not permitted except in circumstances where it is necessary for accessibility, according to the event information on SUNY Oswego’s website. The tent portion of the show begins at 4 p.m. and walking tours start at 5:15 and 6 p.m. The show will go on regardless of weather conditions that day.

Photo via oswego.edu