Jes (’20) and Nate (’18) Mabanglo-Burgett on Building the ‘Witch’s Hollow’ Escape Room 

A sneak peek of the Witch's Hollow Escape Room.

Escape rooms are a fun way to bond with a group of friends or family and test your creative, problem-solving skills. But what does it look like to build an escape room from scratch? Gordon alums Jes (communication arts) ’20 and Nate (theatre arts and communication arts) ’18 Mabanglo-Burgett learned firsthand as they planned and built their escape room, “Witch’s Hollow,” which opened in October 2024 at Stained Hourglass Escapes in Salem, MA.  

Throughout the experience Jes and Nate enjoyed exploring their creativity, working together as a couple and leading a team. They also appreciated the opportunity to build something for the community to discover and enjoy. “It's been a dream, creating this experience and then connecting people to create something special,” Nate said.  

Creating “Witch’s Hollow” Escape Room

After enjoying a previous project of turning their home into a private escape room, Jes and Nate came up with the idea of building an escape room for the public to enjoy. They started by inquiring at the recently opened Stained Hourglass Escapes, a North Shore destination with multiple escape room experiences. Following several meetings the creation of the “Witch’s Hollow” room began to take form in July 2024.  

Once Jes and Nate had the foundation of the room and its basic outline in place, they were faced with the bigger challenges of utilizing technology, designing the set and building durable props. Everything in the room needed to facilitate the theme, story and functionality of the game. The effects and activation of puzzles required special coding and technology. “In escape rooms there's a whole science behind how to create things that are artistic and play a role in the storytelling but can also last,” Jes said.  

Both working full-time jobs, the escape room took up most of the couple’s evenings and weekends. “We just had no social life,” they joked. And while most escape rooms take at least a year to complete, Jes and Nate aimed to have theirs completed in time for Salem’s busiest time of year: Halloween. To make it work, they knew they would need help. 

Tackling Challenges as a Community 

While Jes and Nate were the creative directors of the project, with Nate serving as producer while Jes took on the role of art director, the Mabanglo-Burgetts had to pull together an experienced team. From scenic artists to specialized builders and blueprint carpenters, there was an immense amount of skill and passion put into every element of the room. “We had the help of many expert designers and builders, as well as friends. We quite literally could not have opened on time without them,” shared Jes. 

Anna Fenton ’23, an alum of Gordon’s theatre department, constructed the foundation of the room. The room's scenic design and major game pieces were a product of artistic geniuses KTRON and Crystal VanArtsdalen, who have done scenic design for several films, including Beetlejuice and The Collaboration.  

They were also helped by Katelyn Cahill-Rowley, owner of Stained Hourglass Escapes, who did the major engineering and technical design; M. J. Terry, manager of Stained Hourglass Escapes, who built and designed key game elements; and Jessica Algard ’16, who made blueprints for the room. 

With such a talented team working to build a cohesive gameplay experience, Jes and Nate had to always be thinking about the big picture. “There were so many people who had hands in this project and who were important to the project. The hard part was learning and discerning what we should hold on to and what we should let go,” said Jes. 

Although it was a challenge, Jes and Nate were both constantly inspired by the expertise and collaboration of their team—especially Cahill-Rowley. “We would communicate and brainstorm with her what we wanted, and then she would work with us to figure out what was doable and reasonable but she's also a big dreamer; she really helped us bring our big ideas to life,” Jes said.  

The team’s collaboration became a powerful display of creativity bringing individuals and their unique skills together. “I think there's so much value in knowing people, seeing them and respecting their art and wanting to be friends that makes creatives want to work together,” Jes said. 

A Rewarding Process 

Jes and Nate are excited to share their escape room experience and are already thinking of new storylines for their next venture. “Creating the escape room was a dream come true for us—it showed us the power of dreaming big and overcoming challenges to turn our visions into reality,” Jes said.  

With its spooky theme and opening week in the final days of October, Halloween was a perfect time to launch “Witch’s Hollow” for the Salem community. The escape room will be open through December 2025, so you can visit Stained Hourglass Escapes and experience the Witch’s Hollow yourself! 

Emily Jones ’25, English language and literature