By: Elaine Chan, Center Spread Editor
BREAKING: Student, Ryan Spicker (11) was recently discovered in the Mills Auditorium after being locked in for over 3 days. Spicker was discovered early Monday morning at 6:32 A.M. when the custodian began his daily routine. After activating the House Lights, he initially thought nothing of the slight rustling noises, seemingly coming from the balcony. However, after about 20 minutes, he reported hearing a faint voice saying, “I can’t…I surely can’t” in a strangled British accent that somehow resembled a child…Bruce from Matilda? Or merely a coincidence?
Upon hearing this, the custodian was rather concerned as he climbed the stairs to the balcony seating. Spicker was then found asleep in the last row in the theater, Cheez-It bags littered the floor around him–presumed to be from the Green Room stash; this being his only food source. Obviously in a weakened state, he asked the custodian, “What day is it?” Horrified, he helped the boy to his feet as he was reported to be “rather unsteady and I thought he was going to faint.” Together, the two emerged from the auditorium and Spicker reports that, “the sun never looked brighter.” The custodian expressed his utter shock stating that he didn’t ever expect something like this to happen.
Taking a deeper dive into the sequence of events of the day that changed it all for him, it was revealed that Spicker had been the last to leave, or attempt to leave, from rehearsal for the Spring musical, Bye Bye Birdie. Other cast members recalled practicing together with him and were also thoroughly stunned after hearing of his nights in the auditorium. One cast member Lana Levison (12) voices, “I just hope he is getting the rest he needs, I can’t imagine how awful and cold it was.”
After speaking with Spicker himself, the mysterious story began to unfold piece by piece. “I was just going to leave when I realized I forgot my water bottle backstage,” he recalls. He then went on to approach the Stage Left Second Wing to retrieve said bottle. Spicker continues, “the lights turned off except for the Ghost Light, but I didn’t think anything of it.” The Ghost Light is a tradition that our theater–and almost all others take part in. The superstition goes that this single light will keep the theater ghosts happy. Additionally, it serves as the constant light source when the building is empty to keep it from being plunged into total darkness. So he was unfazed by the building’s sudden emptiness, as this was all just normal daily procedure. “But when I went to try the door to the lobby, it wouldn’t budge,” Spicker describes the moment he realized he was locked in. Minutes turned into hours which turned into nights. He has little recollection of the exact events, but we can assume that it might take some time before he will be able to remember the true details.
The team at The Thunderbolt ran some tests and diagnostics to uncover that the temperature in the auditorium can get as low as 44.8º F–almost identical to the estimated temperature outside that night. When asked, Spicker explained that he had chosen the very top of the theater because “…warm air rises so it was my best bet at staying as warm as possible.” The team also theorized that there could have been minor paranormal activity present in the building, which could have contributed to the record low temperatures. EMF technology has calculated spiked levels of electro-magnetic activity once the hour passes 3AM in the auditorium. Spicker was lucky that the Ghost Light had not been forgotten. To test this theory, the Thunderbolt team decided to test the EMF levels when the Ghost Light was not in use. The result: the EMF meter was immediately overheated by immense levels of activity. Spicker has yet to comment on this.
Post-discovery, he has suffered no injuries, just some lasting fatigue along with vivid dreams and newfound fears. “It’s like I can hear the Cheez-It bags when I sleep, even though I know I’m in my own bed,” explains Spicker as he is still learning how to deal with this distressing experience. This new and seemingly intense phobia has created severe aversions to the cheesy, crunchy snack, and it could take months for him to acknowledge his fear head-on. It’s absolutely so touching to witness the cast of the musical come together to support Spicker in these past days. Another cast member, Justin Garcia (12) wishes him a quick recovery and has sent him 36 flower arrangements throughout the week. Spicker is currently on self-diagnosed bedrest and his peers are wishing him well over this recovery period.
