Herman Ammann—whose penetrating analysis of his fellow humans added such delight to his adaptations of The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Little Match Girl, The Magic Well, and The Canterbury Tale from the Wife of Bath—now turns his typewriter toward the world of ghosts. For which we are grateful...because, as every director discovers when he searches for one, good ghost-story plays are in very, very short supply. A scary—but not too scary—play is hard to find, especially with excellent roles for 6 girls, upper elementary to high school age.

Four school girls arrive at a dilapidated, lonely old house planning to meet Rosanda, great-aunt of one of them, and spend two nights making up ghost stories. The point: Rosanda, who has lived in France for many years, now wants to return to her childhood home and advertise "haunted house" tours to make money. Rosanda arrives and describes a long-ago, imaginary murder that took place in an old chest in the room. The girls' fears continue to rise after Rosanda leaves, and they take turns telling ghost stories which culminate in the near death of one girl in the chest. Exhausted and asleep at last, the girls are unaware that they will hurry away when they awake and see the real ghosts of Rosanda, her French maid Yvette, and their mutual lover Chadwick. The murder was real, and the house is already haunted.

The play is suitable for presentation by senior or junior high schools. It is an ideal piece with which stagecrafters can practice their skills in lighting, sound, and special effects. However, it can also be presented without these technical effects. A Director's Script (prompt book) is available from the publisher. It contains drawings of costumes and set, details on all technical aspects of staging, discussion of characterization, plot, and theme. It also suggests the complete blocking and full stage directions for all movement and business.

See also: Mystery, Murder, and Mayhem