Friday, October 30th @ Plays & Players Theatre
Study Hall-oween Rises From the Grave
One night of frightfully funny comedy featuring Halloween-themed lectures and supernaturally good improv.
Hello, Boils & Ghouls!
Study Hall has been making Philly laugh and learn since 2011, and this October, Study Hall-oween rises from the grave with a brand-new cast. The format is simple and supernaturally fun: real experts take the stage to deliver brief lectures on Halloween topics, and then our improv cast uses their brain droppings to create hilarious scenes on the spot.
Our faculty this year includes a historian who knows exactly what the devil is up to, a manuscripts curator fluent in the prayers of the dead, and a Rosenbach curator with a taste for vampires, coming to us from just down Delancey Place. It’s an education to die for, with a curriculum that’s educational and entertaining from bell to bell. Attendance is mandatory.
Always educational, always entertaining, and never the same twice. (And never quite dead.)
The Faculty · Friday, October 30th · 7:00pm
Tap or hover on a photo to read the bio.
Darin Hayton is associate professor of history of science at Haverford College. He comes to the history of science illegitimately through an earlier incarnation as a chemist and general ne’er-do-well. His work focuses on astrology, demonology, and numerology in early modern Europe, and on how and why we tell ourselves the stories that we do. He wrote The Crown and the Cosmos: Astrology and the Politics of Maximilian I, writes for Distillations, the magazine of the Science History Institute, and has taught courses for the Wagner Free Institute of Science. He is currently working on the history of the Circle of Petosiris and how astrology became legal in California.
Astrology, Dr. Faustus, and the Devil
[BIO TBD] Dot Porter is Curator of Digital Humanities in the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies at the University of Pennsylvania Libraries.
[LECTURE TITLE TBD]
Dr. Alexander L. Ames is Curator & Senior Director of Collections Engagement at the Rosenbach Museum & Library, where he has worked in various capacities since 2018. A historian of religion, spirituality, and culture, he holds a Ph.D. from the University of Delaware and has served as host of The Rosenbach Podcast. He also plays Celtic harp.
Photo: Tracie Van Auken. Courtesy of the Rosenbach.
Bite Club: Gender & Sexuality in Classic Vampire Fiction
Stay for a Second Scare
Make It a Double Feature
The frights don’t stop when class lets out. Right after Study Hall-oween, Philly’s improvised movie-making crew, Not Yet Rated, takes the same stage at 8:30pm for An Improvised Horror Comedy, a brand-new scary movie made up on the spot from your suggestions.
Brief lectures from people who know their stuff, spooky edition.
Our improv cast turns each lecture into comedy on the spot.
PG-13, with more fun than frights.
Not Yet Rated’s horror comedy follows at 8:30pm.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Study Hall-oween?
Study Hall-oween is the Halloween edition of Study Hall: Comedy Inspired By Lectures from Crossroads Comedy Theater. Real experts give short lectures on spooky topics, and an improv cast turns what they learned into comedy scenes on the spot.
When and where is Study Hall-oween 2026?
Friday, October 30th at 7:00pm at Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Place, Philadelphia, PA 19103.
How much are tickets?
Tickets are $15, and that includes fees. The price you see is the price you pay.
Is the show OK for teens?
The show is PG-13, with more fun than frights.
How long is the show?
About an hour.
Is the venue accessible?
Plays & Players is a beautiful historic building, but it isn’t wheelchair accessible. We’re sorry about that. If you have questions about getting to the show, email hello@xroadscomedy.com and we’ll do our best to help.
Is anything else happening that night?
Yes! Stick around for Not Yet Rated: An Improvised Horror Comedy at 8:30pm in the same theater.
Know a horror fan, a history buff, or a ghoul who loves to learn? Send them this post.
Fright Around the Corner!
Grab your seat for a night of brand-new lectures and brand-new scenes. No two shows are ever the same.
