Holiday Spirits:
A collection of Victorian Yuletide Ghost Stories
Adapted by Maria Burnham from stories by A.M. Burrage, Andrew Haggard and Lillie Harris
Directed by Holly Robison
During the long nights of midwinter, join Ghostlight Ensemble and the Driehaus Museum once again by the fireplace(s) as we return to the Victorian tradition of telling ghost stories at Yuletide.
Holiday Spirits: A collection of Victorian Yuletide Ghost Stories returns to the Driehaus Museum this holiday season for a third year, but with a new ghost story for audiences to be thrilled by.
Adapted by Ensemble member Maria Burnham, Holiday Spirits is a multi-story and multi-storied immersive, site-specific adaptations of classic Victorian ghost stories. Three distinct stories will unfold throughout the museum. Limited seating will be provided but audiences should be prepared to move with the actors as they uncover these otherworldly visitors.
During the Victorian era, newspaper and magazine publishers printed ghost stories during the Christmas season for chilling reading by the warming fireplace. The most famous example of such tales is A Christmas Carol, but Charles Dickens did not invent the Victorian Christmas ghost tradition — he was just the one to recognize its potential for commercial success.
Stories adapted for this performance include:
The Fourth Wall by A.M. Burrage: A group of friends conspire to spend the holidays at a lovely cabin in the countryside, but more is on display than just holiday cheer as the group begin to feel someone (or someones) is watching them.
19, Great Hanover Street by Lillie Harris: A young doctor finds the perfect house to let for his new practice and living quarters only to discover the reason why such perfection comes so cheap.
A Spirit Bride by Andrew Haggard: A séance to rid a house of ghosts brings an unusual woman into our narrator’s life.
Join us this winter by the fireplaces of the Driehaus Museum's Nickerson Mansion, completed in 1883, as we meet the holiday spirits of Christmases past.
Details
What: Holiday Spirits: A collection of Victorian Yuletide Ghost Stories
Where: The Driehaus Museum
(40 East Erie St., Chicago, IL 60611)
When: December 10 & 11, 2026
What Time: Timed entries, in 30-minute increments, will be available beginning at 5:30 p.m.
How much: General Audience: $40 || Driehaus Museum Members: $35 || Students: $20
Accessibility
Visitors who would like an accessibility accommodation should contact the Driehaus Museum’s Guest Services team at (312) 482-8933 or by emailing info@driehausmuseum.org.
The Museum has an elevator for use by visitors. The wheelchair accessible entrance is located at 50 East Erie Street, next door to the Museum’s main entrance.
The Museum has manually-operated wheelchairs available, free of charge.
Service animals are welcome in the Museum. Pets, emotional support animals, and animals in training to be service animals are not permitted.
If you require any additional accommodations, please contact the Guest Services team for more information.