Hello, lovely readers. Today I’m going to be talking about 13 popular theater superstitions. I love theater (or theatre, however you like it). I love the emotion in it. But, I haven’t really been in any plays. But, I’ve heard about a couple of these. Let’s jump right in to these superstitions!
A bad dress rehearsal means the show will be a hit.
This is an old wives’ tale and no one is quite sure how it started (perhaps it was the quiet prayer of a high school drama teacher?). Many theater folks cling to the idea that a bad dress rehearsal is a good omen for a successful opening night. Occasionally, there is the coincidence that a disastrous final rehearsal precedes an amazing premiere, but this most likely is the result of a prepared production, committed artists, and a large-dose of adrenaline, not a deus ex machina. I don’t believe that because if you terrible in the final rehearsal then you’ve got to do terrible in the actual show! After all practice makes perfect…right?
No Green or Blue Outfits!
While theatrical costumes are now often bright, flashy and full of color, two colors used to be off-limits for the superstitious actor. Wearing a green or blue costume was once thought of as very bad luck, though for very different reasons.
There are 3 main reasons why Green Costumes/Outfits are bad luck:
1. Everyone wants to be in the spotlight, right? Well, back in the day when the first spotlight was invented, it worked by burning a chemical called quicklime. This gave it its original nickname, “the limelight.” True to its name, the limelight had a greenish glow to it, so if an actor wore green, he or she might not be visible when hit by the spotlight.
2. The other reason green was deemed unlucky has to do with famed actor/playwright Molière. In 1673, Molière was performing in his play, “The Imaginary Invalid,” when he suffered a coughing fit onstage brought on by tuberculosis and started to hemorrhage. He finished his performance (talk about dedication) but died a few hours later, still in costume. The color of the costume? Green, of course. It was considered unlucky ever since.
3. This is just a creepy pasta. So, there was this ballerina who was obsessed with dancing. Her favorite color was green, so she wore her green tutu everywhere. And she would have a bag with her at all times and in it was a music box. And everywhere she went, she danced. When she walked, she looked like she was dancing or floating or something. She had a little skip in her step. She would randomly twirl around. So, it was kind like she wanted to be a ballerina all the time. But (obviously) since she was always moving and dancing, she became very very tired. Then, one day, during a show, she was twirling. And twirling. And twirling. And twirling. Around and around and around until she just…collapsed and died. And, as you could guess, she was wearing her green tutu. And when they buried her, she had her music box because she never parted with it. She loved it so so so much. And legend goes, if you visit her grave at night (which, why would you?) you can hear her music box from six feet under. And if you put your ear to the grass, you could hear her turning round and round and round in her grave. Which is terrifying. Aren’t coffins like really small. Did she shrink or something so she could turn. Ugh! *Shudder*
Blue, on the flip side, has a bit of a less thrilling reason for being seen as unlucky. Back in the day, blue dye was the priciest of all the colors, so people started spreading the rumor that it brought bad luck to wear blue costumes. But here’s the twist – blue costumes with a silver lining were actually seen as very lucky, because it meant the theater company could splash out on fancy outfits and was therefore super successful.
Never light a trio of candles.
An open flame on stage is already a big risk (obviously) that many theatres would rather avoid. The more burning candles in a play, the more likely it is that a fire could spiral out of control. Many theatres have gone up in flames due to open flames, especially back when theatres had thatched roofs (like Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, which burned down when a cannon went off during a performance of Henry VIII). So, why can’t we have lit candles in threes? There’s this belief that the person closest to the shortest candle will be the first to die. I know, it sounds crazy, right? The origin of that superstition has long been forgotten, but we still play by the rule.
Turn on the ghost light before leaving the theatre.
When you step into a dim theatre, watch out for those classic comedy moments: open trap doors waiting to devour you, orchestra pits ready to greet you with a tumble, and not to mention scenery and props conspiring to trip you up. But fear not! The ghost light holds its ground at the center of the stage, outshining all other lights. Some say it’s for safety, but who really knows? Theatres have a knack for drawing a quirky cast of characters, including a few ghostly regulars. While some performers swear the ghost light keeps these spectral troublemakers at bay, others claim it doubles as a spotlight for the ghostly divas. Whether it’s for safety or to spotlight the paranormal thespians, let’s just be glad it prevents us from becoming the newest members of the theatre’s ghostly ensemble!
Never bring a peacock feather on stage.
Peacock feathers are undeniably stunning, yet it is believed that an actor should never brandish one while on stage. This superstition stems from the distinctive pattern on the feather, which some associate with the malevolent “evil eye.” Theatrical productions aim to avoid any possibility of offending their audience with this perceived curse, which is thought to bring harm or misfortune to those it gazes upon.
Mirrors on stage are bad luck.
Is it like the fear of the mirror breaking and getting seven years of bad luck, or like the old superstition that mirrors are a gateway for evil spirits to cross over to the world of the living? It’s neither. Mirrors are considered bad luck because they reflect light, which is tricky to place on stage without causing chaos with the lighting design of a production. Sure, it can be done, but one wrong hit with a spotlight and you could easily have a blinded actor who might just walk off the edge of the stage.
Whistling backstage in a theatre is considered a jinx.
This superstition comes from a pretty practical place: Back in the day, when it was all about manual labor in the theater, the guys would have to haul the scenery up using ropes (no fancy hydraulics or high-tech rigging back then). They’d signal to each other with whistles. If an actor whistled backstage, he might accidentally give the signal for a stagehand to hoist or drop something, which could end up putting an unsuspecting performer in serious danger of getting squashed by a wall or sandbag. So, to make sure you didn’t end up haunting the theatre, the best move was to just not whistle at all. And that’s how a simple rule turned into a full-blown superstition.
Leave the dressing room on your left foot.
Another quirky tradition with a mysterious origin. The idea is that your left foot is probably not your dominant foot, and you wouldn’t want to waste the energy in your right foot by leading with it backstage. Save the right foot for when you first step onto the stage. It’s like having two superstitions in one!
Flowers come after the show
An old tradition says actors should get flowers at the end of a show (preferably thrown to them in front of an audience). It’s connected to the not-so-nice idea that if they’re rewarded before the show, they might not perform as well. Also, back in the day, directors would get a “graveyard bouquet” to symbolize the end of a show and save money. Sometimes actors would pick flowers from a cemetery to give their director at the end of a performance.
Never say Macbeth in a theatre.
I’m sure that all theatre people out there have heard this one. Don’t ever say Macbeth in a theatre. People either say “the Bard’s Play” or “MacB.” The first time Shakespeare’s Macbeth was played, it was around the early 1600s. And it was doomed from the beginning. Apparently, a local group of witches took offense to Shakespeare’s real magical spells. Now, if you don’t know what it is, here’s a the incantation:
“Double, Double, Toil and Trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble…”
They say that Shakespeare was putting spells in his play that he didn’t fully understand. So yeah. The witches were really angry. So they did the obvious thing: They placed a cruse on the whole production. And then the actor playing Lady Macbeth suddenly died, forcing Shakespeare to play Lady Macbeth. Real daggers would replace fake ones. And those real daggers ended up killing one of the actors. It was the man who was playing King Duncan. I’m pretty sure he’s the one who got stabbed in the play. I think? I didn’t really understand Macbeth when I read it. It was like, every time this play was performed something bad happened. Deaths. Accidents. Broken Instruments. It ended with 25 died and hundreds injured. So, even if it feels silly to avoid this name, better not try your luck.
And that’s the end of our list of superstitions. I know there are tons that I missed. Let me know if you’ve heard of these tales and if there are any interesting superstitions I missed. Till next time!
XOXO
Aaradhyaa
#TheaterGeek
Aaradhyaa.blog 