The Official Student News Source of HSEHS

HSENews

The Official Student News Source of HSEHS

HSENews

The Official Student News Source of HSEHS

HSENews

The “Ghost” of the Little Theatre

In the spirit of today’s date, it seems appropriate to take a look at the strange and seemingly supernatural happenings of the Hamilton Southeastern High School theatres. HSE News asked drama directors Mary Armstrong and Ethan Mathias about the “ghost” of the Little Theatre.

“There were times when we’d sit on stage to talk about something where we just have the regular stage lights on, not the actual stage lights, we’re just talking about the work lights,” said Armstrong, “and you’re looking out and there’s this light that goes side to side. And people will go, ‘Did you see that?’” This phenomenon has occurred on more than one occasion during her time at HSE.

“I can remember many times covering my watch thinking [the light is] a reflection from that, and it’s not,” she added.

The recurring white light was named “Fred” years ago by HSE Drama students. The name Fred has been around for some time, but any sort of origin story is unclear.

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“If you look on the sound insets on the stage left side, there’s like red powder, it’s red,” Armstrong continued. “Supposedly, that got thrown up there [by Fred].” According to the two directors, the white light has not been seen recently, but Fred has stayed active through his other iconic signal.

“There’s been sounds more than there’s been lights,” Armstrong remarked, but both directors agree that more often than not it is the wind knocking a door around.

The Little Theatre is one of the oldest places in the school, as part of the original 1967 building. Just like an old house, random and unexplained creaks and noises should be expected. The idea of a ghost has become a running gag. It’s a goofy way to rationalize odd occurrences and faulty equipment, and to play spooky, yet harmless tricks on peers. It is not, however, a strong excuse to point to when you don’t want to take the blame for moving props around. Current and future drama club members (and Fred, I suppose), if it’s not yours, just don’t touch it!

In terms of the origin, “I honestly don’t know if something happened,” Armstrong said. “As far as I know, no, I couldn’t tell you that, all the way back from the 60s, 70s, no.”

With no certain evidence and, more importantly, the word of Armstrong herself, students can rest assured that nobody has died in the theatre outside of some colorful performances in productions throughout the years. In fact, the Hamilton Southeastern stage is well-versed in the supernatural. Several shows have included dark and strange themes, including a séance in this year’s Fall play, The Game’s Afoot!

Since 2000, other notably chilling elements from HSE productions include dead soldiers rising from the grave in Bury the Dead (2005), curses and witches in the musical Into the Woods (2010), a village that only appears once every hundred years in Brigadoon (2011), the vampires of the play Dracula (2013), and standard, brutal murder in shows such as Wait until Dark, the Murder Comedy Mysteries of 1940, A Murder is Announced, Arsenic and Old Lace, Night Must Fall, etc. It is the theatre, after all.

It is not uncommon for thespians to develop a belief of the supernatural. Most, if not all, professional theatres claim to house at least one spirit, ghost, ghoul, you name it. There is also a common practice of putting up a “ghost light”- that is, an uncovered lightbulb on a stand- on the center of the stage when the theatre is unused. The obvious reason for this is safety, the light helps anyone who enters a dark, windowless theatre between shows to see their way around. Still, a typical thespian might believe, or at least entertain the thought, that the light helps ghosts see their way around when nobody is there, or contrarily that it scares them away. Another common superstition is that the light keeps the theatre from becoming a “dark” theatre, which is the title given to a theatre without a show.

“Every good theatre needs a ghost story to go along with it,” Mathias said.  “Thus, Fred was born.”

“I haven’t seen as many of the lights, especially since the Leonard [Auditorium]’s been there,” Armstrong finished. “But who knows, he’s got two auditoriums to go to now. Maybe he feels peaceful. He’s got more room.”

As long as Hamilton Southeastern High School’s drama department remains active, it is fair to assume that “Fred” will keep mysteriously carrying out his shenanigans and will continue to be called out by students accordingly.

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