Theater Superstitions & the Supernatural
How many of you have heard of a few famous haunted theaters or maybe legends surrounding haunted theaters in your area? There is a good reason for how frequent this phenomena occurs. Theaters are places that generate great passion from the actors which spills out into the audience. The sheer amount of energy created in a building no doubt leaves behind a few impressions or leads the spirits to linger. The paranormal has become so synonymous with the theater many superstitions and traditions revolving the supernatural remain in use today.
Don't Turn Out That Light!
Theaters often leave a ghost light left on overnight on the stage. Although it does have practical safety uses the tradition's origin is more rooted in the paranormal. Some believe it is left on to give the spirits their time to perform, but the general consensus is the illumination is to appease the ghost. If the Ghost Light wasn't lit the spirits would cause mischief or worse curse the theater.
Somebody's Watching Me?
There is a rule in the
theater to never ever use peacock feathers on stage. The tip of the feather's design is said to be the representation of 'The
Evil Eye' also known as 'The Devil's Eye'. If worn on stage the
feathers will bring bad luck to production causing missed lines,
scenery collapses, and lighting issues.
The Birth of Tragedy
According
to Aristotle, Thespis of
Icaria. (which is where we get the word “thespian”, meaning
“actor”) was the
first actor to ever appear on stage. Men had spoken on stage as
themselves but Thespis was the first to appear as a character in a
form of the play and this was the birth of tragedy. He is also
credited with the creation of theatrical touring. Generally any
mischief or mishaps in the theater first get blamed on the ghost of
Thespis who is said to travel the worlds theaters causing mayhem. It
is said that November 23rd
marks the day of his first performance and being the day he wreaks
the most havoc. In order to keep Thespis happy a theater must close
it's doors one night a week which is generally on a Monday. This
gives actors the night off after a weekend of performances.
The Play That Shall Not Be Named
“The Scottish Play” or
“The Bard's Play” is what theater folk generally call
Shakespeare's Macbeth. It is believed that the play is plagued by a
curse and uttering the work's title in a theater can bring
misfortune. It is said that Shakespeare used real spells he received
from a local coven of witches but that the incantations are
incomplete bringing on the curse. The character Hecate's, the Goddess
of Witchcraft, lines are believed to strengthen the curse when they
are spoken. Other theories include that the play itself was an insult
to a group of witches and they cursed the play for eternity and that
the cauldron initially used was stolen from a witch. The origin of
the tale of the curse dates back to opening night when a real dagger
was used in place of a prop and an actor died. Other mishaps and
tragedy have occurred over the years including injuries, deaths,
fires, and a riot. 
Written By
Associate Director & Photographer
Thames Society of Paranormal Investigations
Stephanie Sutera
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