"Tales from the Crypt"
“Tales From the Crypt” is a combination of scholarly research and dramatic performance. Students involved with the project spend a semester embarking upon primary document research concerning the life of someone buried at the Friendship Cemetery in Columbus. Using their research, the students create a picture of the life of someone who lived in the community by transforming their research into dramatic monologues.
As the moon rises over Columbus, Mississippi, figures rise from the graves of those long past. Some call them ghosts. Some call them memories. All call them magical.
Originally created by the MSMS founding faculty member Mr. Carl Butler and directed by MSMS history teacher Chuck Yarborough since 2003, “Tales From the Crypt” is a research, performance and community service project which challenges students to creatively strengthen research skills while developing presentation and performance skills. Engaging individuals and documents from 19th or 20th century Columbus history, students spend a semester embarking upon primary document research concerning the life and context of people connected to the sprawling and picturesque Friendship Cemetery. The cemetery is home to thousands who lived, worked, and died in the friendly city. Using their research, MSMS students create a picture of the life of someone who lived in the community by transforming their research into dramatic monologues.
Then in April, at night, on the gravesites of research subjects and dressed as people they have been researching, the students perform for the public.
The project has won numerous awards, including the 2005 Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, and has been featured in publications all over the country, including the Atlantic, National Public Radio’s All Things Considered, and the New York Times.
Under Yarborough’s leadership, “Tales” has expanded and grown to become one of the seminal projects at MSMS, contributing significantly to student leadership and collaborative skills.
TALES FROM THE CRYPT 2026 performances will be April 8, 10, 15, & 17. Buy tickets by clicking here.
Tales is made possible through partnerships with the Columbus-Lowndes Library and the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Recognition & Awards
- Featured on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” May 25, 2015
- 2014 Heritage Award for Preservation Education from the Mississippi Heritage Trust
- 2009 Award for Outstanding Use of Historical Documents in the Mississippi K-12 Classroom
- 2005 Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts recipient
- 2005 national Finalist for the History Channel’s Save Our History Classroom Award