Actor thought dark curtain broke a computer

When Tech Support Meets Halloween

The Register wishes you a spooky and fun Halloween! To celebrate, we've transformed our On Call column—usually about managing computer challenges—into a collection of eerie tech support stories.

Actor Mistakes Curtain for a Computer

A reader, identified here as “Vlad,” shared his experience working on the audio-visual team at a large theme park. Every year, the park hosted a Halloween event with temporary attractions featuring special effects operated by actors.

Vlad noted,

“For us in the AV world, the term ‘Performer’ or ‘Actor’ conjures the same emotions our brothers in arms in IT think about when they hear ‘End User’.”

The Spooky Attraction Setup

One Halloween, Vlad was assigned to support an attraction made up of multiple themed rooms connected by corridors. Actors performed Halloween-themed shows in each room, guiding guests through in sequence to experience the full horror.

After each group left a room, actors needed to reset the special effects using a small touchscreen powered by a Raspberry Pi.

Unexpected Confusion

During one performance, an actor mistook a dark curtain for a broken computer, leading to a memorable moment for Vlad and his team.

“Every year we had a Halloween event that involved opening temporary attractions that featured a lot of special effects run by actors,” Vlad explained.

This incident highlights the often humorous misunderstandings between tech support teams and actors or end users during complex events.

Author's summary: The story reveals how tech support challenges can take a spooky twist when actors confuse props for malfunctioning equipment during a Halloween attraction.

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The Register The Register — 2025-11-01

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