A church bell tolls; with each chime the suspension builds. The lights cast an eerie glow as phantoms swirl across the stage, and three figures emerge from the mist, chanting, ?When the headless horseman rides, you?ll probably die of fright.?

This was the opening of the drama class?s production of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow on Dec. 8-9.

The drama department presented a tale of the clumsy new schoolmaster, Ichabod Crane (Jason Savage, ’07) and his experiences in the small and superstitious town of Sleepy Hollow.

When Ichabod first arrives in Sleepy Hollow, he immediately falls head- over- heels for the town beauty, Katrina (Hannah Wilhelm, ’07). However, Ichabod is not the only suitor competing for Katrina?s affection. The conceited troublemaker, Brom Bones (Phil Unruh, ’07), is determined to make Katrina his bride.

After hearing tales of Sleepy Hollow?s residing ghosts, namely, an Indian chief (Anthony Johnson, ’09), a pirate searching for his lost gold and the White Woman (Mary Sargent, ’09), Ichabod makes his way home. He travels past the town graveyard, only to be scared out of his wits by those same restless spirits.

Ichabod?s luck goes downhill from that point, as Brom Bones makes it his chief objective to chase Ichabod out of town in order to increase his chances to win Katrina. The play came to an abrupt close after the dreaded headless horseman terrified Ichabod, driving him to leave town without a word.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow not only served as an amusing evening spent with friends, it also probed thought amongst the audience. The open- ended closure of the play allowed viewers to debate and discuss superstition versus practicality.

From the eerie glow of the lighting to the suspenseful soundtrack, the tale of ghost ridden Sleepy Hollow was brought to life. The morbid scenes in the play were balanced by constant humor, which also kept the attention of the audience from wandering.

From strutting across the stage, to the exaggerated accent, Savage shed a new light to the role of Ichabod Crane.

Wilhelm’s sarcasm when avoiding the affection of the arrogant Brom Bones, and the innocent courtship with Ichabod, was played with grace and charm.

The Woman in White was clad in icy lace, but had a temper that could melt an ice age. Sargent’s cold demeanor and expression succeeded in making the audience shiver in fright.

Sean O?Neil stole the spotlight with his depiction of farmer Stuvesant. As a senile old man man, O?Neil added humor to the presentation using his cane, randomly staring off into space, and the exaggerated old man accent.

The performance of Sleepy Hollow was an evening well spent and many look forward to the drama department?s next production of Treasure Island to be performed next spring.

For more information check out Elisha Quintana?s Oct. 4, 2006, article, Sleepy Hollow designers craft show alongside drama veterans, or Ashley Hall’s Dec. 8, 2006, article, Alumni recruits build Sleepy Hollow set