Ghosts on stage and other theatre superstitions

September 23, 12:33 PMDenver Theater ExaminerDeb Flomberg

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The ghost light - keeping ghosts away for hundreds of years

Fall is officially here and it won’t be long before the streets are lined with jack-o-lanterns and costumed children. Seems like the perfect time to revisit one of my favorite topics – superstitions in the theater. Theater people are a notoriously superstitious type, from never wishing an actor “good luck” to the most dreaded word ever uttered on stage – Macbeth. There are a few lesser known superstitions and a lot actually have to do with ghosts – so today’s theatre superstitions will all involve ghosts of the theatre!

Thespis
Why are ghosts of the theatre such a huge inspiration for superstitions? Well, it could have something to do with the first ever thespian. According to the ancient Greeks, Thespis of Icaria was the first person to ever appear on stage as a character. Up until that point people only appeared on stage as themselves. Thespis was the first to appear as a character in a play – this is where we get the term thespian. According to the legend, on November 23rd 534 B.C, Thespis first spoke lines on stage. A lot of mischief is said to occur on stages on November 23rd and it is always contributed to the mischief of Thespis.

Come back later - we are closed
Thespis is certainly not the last ghost that is said to haunt theaters all over the world. Pretty much any theatre that is more than a few years old is said to have their own resident ghost. Another superstition related to the resident ghost of a theatre is that all theaters must be closed one night a week. This is to give the ghosts a chance to perform their own plays. Usually it is Monday that most theaters are dark, but it does vary from theater to theater.

The Ghost Light
Finally, there is the ghost light. It is said that you should always leave a light on in a theatre – the light is called the ghost light. There are many reasons behind the ghost light as well. Some say that ghosts need enough light to see and failing to provide them enough light will anger the ghosts and they will cause havoc and play pranks. Another reason is that the light simply keeps ghosts away from the stage after everyone has left. Finally, a third reason for the ghost light is that it prevents people from crossing the stage in the dark, falling into the pit, dying, and becoming a ghost themselves. That seems a bit of a stretch, as modern day orchestra pits are not that far down, however – historic theaters may have had a larger problem with this. Especially in the times when a simple broken bone could lead to death.

There you have it. Three ghost related superstitions in the theatre. There will be more theater-superstition-fun coming soon. What are some of your favorite superstitions?

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