The Ghost Light and Theatre Ghosts

“A single light left burning center stage when the theatre is empty. The source of the term is the superstition that a ghost will move in if the theatre is left completely dark.” - International Dictionary of Theatre Language

SHALL WE THREE: A Ghost Light’s Tale, my upcoming YA Historical fiction book, set in the Bowery Theatre in New York City during the tumultuous year of 1849, sent me on a journey, Combing Through Research.

Do theatres have ghosts? Actors and stagehands who’ve experienced odd paranormal occurrences say so. I grew up performing at the Civic Theatre in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Many people who worked there swore the Civic had a ghost named Thelma Mertz. She was a mischievous spirit, always playing tricks on the actors and stagehands.

Across the world, most theatres have a ghost light - a single bulb mounted on a pole, encased in a wire cage that burns when a theatre is empty. The practical reason is to keep people who work in the theatre safe. The stage can be a dangerous place, ask anyone who’s fallen into a deep orchestra pit! The more intriguing reason is the centuries-old legend: the light keeps ghosts from inhabiting a theatre.

I like to imagine that theatre ghosts are Earthbound. Trapped between death and some transcendent place, unable to move on from a particular theatre because of unfinished business when they were alive. While many in the theatrical community believe the light is used to keep ghosts at bay, I prefer to fantasize that it burns as a spotlight for theatre ghosts to perform under.

Check out this article by Robert Viagas from Playbill for further reading!