Actors

Members of the acting profession are widely considered to be the group of people with the strongest belief in, and most healthy for, ghosts and supersticions. Indeed, their fraternity is riddled with quiant superstitions that must be observed to ensure success when appearing on stage--to ignore these omens is said to court disaster. Many of these superstitions have been discussed in a number of books, including Philippa Waring's comprehensive Dictionary of Omens and Superstitions (1978). In this she mentions that most actors are firm believers in ghosts and that not a few famous theaters are reputed to be haunted. Members of the profession also have a delightful phrase that is often used: "My ghost walked on Friday." This is not meant literally, of course, but is actually theatrical slang to indicate they have been paid their wages. Perhaps not surprisingly, a number of theatrical ghosts are said to be those of peopel who were once actors themselves. For instance, one of Britain's most famous comeidans, Dan Leno, hant the Theatre Royal in London's Drury Lane, and the comic Stanley Lupino says that while appearing in a pantomime there he both saw and spoke to Leno. The Theatre Royal is also said to be haunted by the ghost of the great dramatic actor Charles Kean, as well as a man in gray believed to be the spirit of an unfortunate soul bricked up alive in the walls of the building many years ago. The Adelphi Theatre in London is haunted by the handsom Victorian matinee idol, William Terris, who was stabbed to death a the stage door in 1897. Perhaps though, the most famous ghost story of all is told by Sir Alec Guinness, who says that while he was playing Hamlet at the Old Vic he was suddenly startled to see the figure of William Shakespeare looking up at him from the stalls! Shakespear, it should be added, figures prominently in several theatrical supersititions, and his play Macbeth is believed to be unlucky to appear in; no actor of experience will ever quote from it--in particular from the famous "witches' scene," which is thought to have the power to raise evil spirits and doom the production.