Kansas State University - Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS)

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Nick ' s Legend Story of East Stadium ' s ghost According to legend, Nick played football in the 1950s. While playing in a game, he broke his neck and was taken to the area now known as the Purple Masque Theatre. Nick ' s parents were called to take him to the hospital, but they were involved in a fatal car wreck on the way to the stadium. Nick died in the theater while waiting for his parents. According to the legend, the ghost of Nick still waited for his parent to arrive. Although Pat Patton, research specialist for the University Archives, discovered that Nick never existed. the legend lived on. Jo Miller, speech theater and dance instructor; Tyler Lansdown, junior in theater; and Jacob Brown, junior in mechanical engineering, perform the play Fantasy. Lansdown, who wrote the play Superman Theory, said he was surprised by the turnout for the event. I didn ' t think so many people would be here, he said. This is kind of crazy. I ' m nervous. I just wrote this a few days ago. (Photo by Clif Palmberg) Charlotte MacFarland, professor of speech communication, theater and dance, holds a candle and tells the legend of Nick, the ghost, before the tour of Purple Masque Theatre. MacFarland got the idea for Midnight Madness from New York University and hoped it would increase awareness about the theater department. (Photo by Clif Palmberg) 24 student life

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Marty Slagle, junior in food science and industry, looks in shock at her husband, Nathan, after discovering the person in front of them purchased the last student season ticket. More than 8,000 tickets were available, and students could purchase up to four sets of tickets at a time, allowing for quicker sales. (Photo by Clif Palmberg) Steve Stewman, junior in psychology, smiles at his luck when he hears he will receive the last football ticket. Stewman waited in line for more than six hours Saturday. I got here at 6:30 a.m. Someone told me the wrong line, so I went through the senior line. Then, I had to go back to the junior section and go through the line again, he said. I came with my girlfriend, who is a senior, and she got her tickets and left with the car and my keys. Stewman received tickets, but he was unable to buy another set for his roommate. (Photo by Clif Palmberg) 23 ticket sales

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Ghostly Theatre by Molly Mersmann Legend of haunted theater draws audience to plays. the legend of the ghost of East Stadium to draw an audience, the theater department hosted a night of student-written plays based on a ghostly or supernatural theme. From 11:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., Oct. 16, more than 80 people ventured into the Purple Masque Theatre, located in East Stadium, for Midnight Madness. It ' s an attempt to create something free and fun, Charlotte MacFarland, coordinator of the event, said. Something entertaining and a little bit risky. Students anonymously wrote plays and submitted them before the event began. Each play, about three to five minutes long, was uncensored, unedited and performed by audience members who sight read the script. The only stipulation was the play had to mention the word ghost, spirit, or center its theme on the supernatural. The scripts were great, Chris Piatt, junior in theater, said. People had a good time. The audience was very responsive. This is the reason we love theater. Some students based the whole script on a ghost story while others only mentioned the word spirit once. The scripts were not written until two or three days ago, Piatt said. To see so many cold readings was great. It was good to see the crowd into it. The idea of Midnight Madness came from other schools who had similar programs in their theater depar tments. MacFarland said she thought it would be a good way for students to have their works read, as well as increase awareness of the theater department. A lot of colleges around the country are doing this, MacFarland said. We to try it here at K-State. Following the play, Megan Nelson, junior in theater, led the audience on a candlelit tour of the theater, telling the story of the ghost, Nick, who she suspected still lived in the theater. According to legend, Nick was a football player who died of a broken neck in what is now the Purple Masque, during a football game. I ' m real sensitive to spirits, Nelson said. I can usually tell where he ' s at. He ' s upstairs right now. Nelson led the group upstairs to a hallway. Nelson said she sensed Nick was angry because of the large audience. When the group began to leave, someone screamed. He ' s not real happy that we ' re here, Nelson said. He took the candle from my hand and threw it to the ground. Nelson explained it wasn ' t her — nor others — first encounter with Nick. MacFarland recalled rehearsing one night and seeing a figure. When she tried to chase after it, it disappeared. Another late night, Nelson said she saw a shadowed image of a young man wearing what looked like a football uniform. Although the plays were the focus of the evening, the story of the ghost attracted most of the audience members to the event, Piatt said. All of us knew from the beginning that the Nick story would be a great crowd draw, Piatt said. We just knew it was a creepy place to hang out. That ' s what people want. Audience members laugh at one of the plays. Some authors chose to remain anonymous, but most took credit for their works. (Photo by Clif Palmberg) 25 midnight madness