Phantom of the Theatre

Ever since I was young, I was involved in theatre in some fashion, mostly acting but technician work as well. Every theatre I worked in had some sort of specter, wraith, ghost or phantom. These spirits are usually guardians of the theatre, but also trickster spirits who are like Macavity from T. S. Elliot’s Book of Practical Cats : “Macavity, Macavity, there's no on like Macavity,He's broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity.His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare,And when you reach the scene of crime--Macavity's not there!”You would hear a crash in the lighting booth or your props would end up missing from their spot and you would find them on stage, but when you went to investigate the scene there would be nothing there. You may say it was a coincidence, or Murphy’s Law, but all actors will tell you it is the ghost of the theatre. The Elizabeth Playhouse in Elizabeth, NJ had the Victorian Girl, and The Sunday School Teacher, Murray State University’s Theatre Department, in Murray, KY has Vincent, The Star City Playhouse in Roanoke, Va had the presence of a little girl, and in my theatre in Glasgow we had a spirit in the Bunche Center named Mable. People would see the spirits on the stage fixing curtains, arranging the make-up room, and walking into closed tech shops. Theatres even place out ghost lights and stage managers wish the ghost good night before they lock up the theatre. Also most actors will tell you when they ask how you learned your lines they will say “I don’t know?” Most actors will say they “got into character”, I believe it maybe a little more. Once you step on stage you are no longer are yourself, you become a person in another place. It is a light form of possession, when you remove the make-up you remove the spirit of the character. I wondered why Theatres gathered so much spirit energy; Dorian and I were discussing this at a Consortium meeting in the back of a theatre actually. Dorian and I concluded that theatre is areas of intense emotion were unintentional invocation and evocation. By doing this it creates a bright beacon of light that pierces the veil and allows supernatural spirits to enter.I have never run into a malevolent spirit like in Phantom of the Opera, these are more friendly spirits who have found a home of energy and excitement. I personally thank all the spirits that have come to me in my years at the Theatre; and hope to watch you perform and trick on the stage.