December 2025/January 2026
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On October 24th and 25th, Austin lawyers experienced a new kind of Halloween fun—an immersive, theatrical tour through the haunted halls of Hilgers House. With nearly 200 LED candles lighting the way, guests were ushered through the three floors of Hilgers House as they met magical residents from the house’s 125-year history.
The evening began at a pop-up “speakeasy” where the manager (Amanda Arriaga) and resident card shark (Austin Berg) offered guests plenty of free moonshine. Groups of up to eight people at a time were led to the front door of Hilgers, where their tour began. In the piano parlor, the host (Adam Schramek) began to reveal the dark history of Hilgers’ past as a table floated in mid-air. The tour next turned to the dining room, where a proprietor of uncommon objects (Joe Weaver) told guests about his strange obsession with a patient registry from a shuttered insane asylum. The evening continued upstairs, where a mad scientist (Bertil Fredstrom) revealed his cloned “masterpiece” (Hailey Hobren / Dave Spring), and a serial killer (Scott Wells) played a game of chance with poisoned candy. But it was the father in the attic (John Carter) whose psychic touches revealed Hilgers’ ghostly past. The final room took the tour back downstairs, where a spiritualist (Gary Yorke) revealed a bewitching power that was out of this world. And just when it appeared the tour had ended, guests found one final spirit (Chari Kelly/Ayeola Williams) standing between them and the outside world.
Hilgers Haunted Nights was produced by the Texas Magic Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit created to promote, preserve and advance the art of magic in Texas. The event generated over $5,000 in profit, which was split equally between the Center and the Austin Bar Foundation. The HHN cast was primarily made up of members of the Austin chapter of the Society of American Magicians. The experience was produced and directed by Adam Schramek and Saul Ravencraft, who also provided tarot card readings throughout the night. Floor guides included longtime Austin magician Kent Cummins and Mike Collins.
HHN received high marks from those attending. One long-time Austin magician hailed the “incredible performance” as “the best Halloween-themed show” he had ever seen. Austin lawyers were “impressed with the thought and work that went into the experience,” had “a wonderful time,” had their “mind blown” by the “incredible performance,” and thought HHN “should be charging a lot more for this.”
The Texas Magic Center and Austin Bar Foundation would like to thank everyone who attended this inaugural production and helped make it a success. They would also like to thank Texas magician Trixie Bond who sponsored the event. When asked if HHN might return next season, the producers responded that many secrets of Hilgers’ dark, haunted past have yet to be revealed.
