Have you been the first to arrive, to sit in a darkened theatre waiting for others to come in? Have you wondered about the sounds coming from behind the curtain? Were they from this lifetime or maybe a long ago actor who died years before but didn’t want to leave? Have you heard about the most famous of all ghosts The Man in Grey. He’s identified as a limping young man in a powdered wig, white ruffled shirt, tri-corner hat, and grey riding cloak.
Inklings of apparitions being seen at the Colonial kept drifting over to me. Finally, a few people agreed to graciously tell me about incidents that have been reported at the gorgeous Colonial Center for the Performing Arts in the heart of South Hill, Virginia.
Entering into the lobby by the front doors, I glance up at the open stairway. The level opposite the elevator doors is where a lady in a long, brown dress with a bonnet or sometimes just a bun on the back of her head has been seen. Hmm. Actor or devoted theatre goer? Another lady, this one is blonde haired and seen in the offices on the second floor.
The apparition of a man has been seen walking across the front width of the balcony. A former mayor, who has seen him with his own eyes, has fondly nicknamed him Charley.
It could be Charley’s steps heard walking across the stage when the stagehands are in the basement and no one else is in the theatre. Some performers will not go backstage alone but most of us know that theatre spirits are there out of a love of acting, not to harm anyone.
Several people have heard, when no one could be seen, the lady singing on the third floor hallway. Anyone singing loves what they do and that’s not like whistling backstage. That is forbidden!
These stories and so many more. . . .
