Once upon a time, deep in the woods of Sleepy Hollow, there lived a man or, rather, there didn?t live a man. His name?the Headless Horseman.

This year the drama class ventures into a new horizon and will perform The Legend of Sleepy Hollow for the annual fall drama production. Drama director, Tom McEntee, is putting a new spin on murder mystery.

?I had students who wanted to do a murder mystery,? McEntee said. ?I wanted to take their idea and give it a twist.?

This year the goal of the performance is not to make the audience laugh but rather to send chills down their spines.

?The theme of the play is don?t get caught up in superstition,? McEntee said. ?All the spirits and ghosts in Sleepy Hollow only exist in their minds. We?re going to put stuff in the air that?s not really there.?

Senior Jason Savage, who starred in last year?s junior class Night of the Stars movie, The Hunted, looks forward to playing the lead role of the eccentric Ichabod Crane.

?I plan to bring a new energy to my character,? Savage, ?07, said. ?This production is the most mysterious and abstract project I?ve worked on.?

The lead female role of the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel is played by senior Hannah Wilhelm. The actress anticipates this production to be an unforgettable one.

?I?m in drama this year because I enjoy acting and working with other people in the class,? Wilhelm said. ?This production seems a lot more intense. There are a lot of behind the scenes things, more than in past years.?

The role of Brom Bones is played by drama veteran, senior Phil Unruh.

?I get to act arrogant and muscular everyone in the play has to bow to my awesomeness,? Unruh said. ?He?s (Brom Bones) an ultra masculine super- jock. I plan to bring something so wild and crazy to my character ya?ll will have to come and see it.?

The small valley of Sleepy Hollow is located in Tarry Town, New York, and strange happenings seem to linger in the air.

?This production is different from other productions we?ve done because we usually do comedies and this one is more of a thriller,? Kim Weis, ?07, said. ?I get to play an old woman who?s a gossipy busy body.?

Senior drama students anticipate this production to be a great one that will not be forgotten. The suspense is centered around the fear that the Headless Horsemen haunts Sleepy Hollow. Although the true conflict is between Ichabod and Brom both try to win the heart of Katrina.

?My senior year I wanted to work hard in a group project with a large and bountiful payback,? Savage said. ?I look forward to hanging out with friends and exploring new worlds and characters.?

McEntee wants to make the true theme of the play be known to the audience.

?I want to stress that the play is not a Halloween production at all,? McEntee said. ?We?re working on communicating a theme that we should not let our minds be caught up by silly ideas and fears.

“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow promises to be full of twists and turns that one and all should see,” McEntee said.

The drama production of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is scheduled for Dec. 8-9 in Ground Zero at 7 P.M.; tickets cost $5.