Who likes to go to the theater? Who likes a good ghost story? Who likes a little bit of both?
In my much, much younger years...I participated in school plays throughout Junior High and High School. I was even the vice president of the Drama Club my senior year in high school (yes...I was a book nerd, band geek, drama club lover). I even had the opportunity to participate in a few of our community plays. Was I a good actor? Absolutely not! Did I have a great time? Yes! Yes! Yes!
Luckily for many patrons, talented people take to the theater and put on amazing performances in different locations. Maybe it's a small production in a local high school. Maybe they get to be on stage at some grander theaters throughout the world. But...what happens if there is a death at a theater location? Accident? Murder? Suicide? Do the sprits remain because their love of the theater never dies? For some places, it's possible the actor's soul still remains.
Today, I'm going to tell the story of the St. James Theatre in Wellington, New Zealand, and about some souls it is believed have never left the place.
First, a "brief" history of the theatre itself. The land where the St. James Theatre is currently was previously used as a church and a volunteer hall. On December 23, 1899, a famous entertainer names John Fuller purchased the hall. In 1903, John Fuller revamped the hall and named it "His Majesty's Theatre".
During its time as the "His Majesty's Theatre", John Fuller allowed pantomimes and a Cleopatra act, which involved the first and last import of snakes into New Zealand. Not sure if John Fuller just didn't like opera, but he rarely allowed it at "His Majesty's Theatre", normally had the opera shows take place at the Opera House down the road from his place. The hall was in use until 1911 when it was declared a fire hazard and had to be demolished.
After the demolition, John Fuller worked on building a new theatre that he stated would be the best in New Zealand. This was accomplished with the help of Henry Eli White. Mr. White had already designed many other theatres around the country for John Fuller. The St. James Theater was the first building that had an entirely steel frame and reinforced concrete. Plans were also set in place ensure that over 650 people could escape the auditorium in the event of a fire. The building plans also consisted of keeping pillars in the auditorium to a minimum to help allow perfect viewing of the stage and seating was placed in an arc to also allow patrons to have a better view of the stage. After the spectacular theatre was fully built, John Fuller named it the St. James Theater, nicknamed it "Fuller". This new theater opened in 1912, on Boxing Day.
During the first few months of the St. James Theatre being open, it hosted mainly silent movies. Nine months later, they started to present live performances. In 1930, it converted back to playing both movies and occasional live performances. Over the years, more live performances were brought back.
After John Fuller's death, the St. James Theatre passed through many owners. In the 1970s, the St. James Theater fell into decline and was closed down. Other places in the area continued having shows performed at their venues and the reports of ghosts in the St. James Theatre didn't help its reputation. Pretty soon, the theatre was forgotten. On May 7, 1987, the St. James Theater placed its last movie.
A campaign to save the theatre had been started months prior to its closing. The site was declared unpractical and was abandoned.
In the 1908s and 1990s, the theatre was nearly demolished after the owners at that time placed a destruction order on the plot of land. Due to the campaign to save the theatre, the St. James was spared and restored to its former glory.
I like to think that having the theatre fully restored made the spirits that stayed behind happy. Who are these possible ghosts, you may be asking? I will start with the most famous ghost, Yuri. He was a Russian performer that supposedly fell to his death from the flies, several meters above the stage. The more popular story is that Yuri was pushed to his death by a fellow female performer named Pasha. I have no idea which scenario is the truth, or if either one is the truth, but many claim to have run into the ghost of Yuri. Some claim that Yuri plays with the lights, turning them back on when everyone has left the building. I can hear all the dads currently cringing thinking about the electric bill..."turn the light off when you leave the room, I'm not paying for that!" Anyone besides me have a dad like that?
Okay, back to Yuri. One projectionist claims that Yuri saved his life twice. The projectionist claimed one time the lights went out in the auditorium. While he was searching for the light switch, he was pushed backwards by an unseen person. When the lights came back on, the projectionist noticed he was only a few inches from falling into the orchestra pit had he not been pushed backwards. Another time, the projectionist states that he was pushed backwards while on the stage just before a beam collapsed above him. He had been standing on the stage with his infant son and when he got pushed back out of the danger; he claims that his son was "carried" through the air for about 3 meters.
So, sounds to me like Yuri is actually a nice, helpful ghost. Of course, it would freak me out if something I can't see pushed me, but I guess if it's to save my life I shouldn't complain too much.
What good is a ghost story if it doesn't include a "Wailing Woman"? Well, supposedly the St. James Theatre has one. It is said that there is a ghost of an actress said to wail throughout the theatre. That's a big NO for me!!! Reports are she was an actress who had tried to make a comeback, but was booed off the stage. Due to this, it is said that the actress died by suicide by slitting her wrists. One version of the story is that she died at her home and another version states she died in her dressing room. Over the years, many lead actresses have dealt with many odd occurrences, putting blame on the Wailing Woman. Many actresses have suffered a sprained ankle while performing, one fell from a ladder, one suddenly caught a cold and was hoarse before her opera performance. Was all of this absolutely due to the Wailing Woman? Was all of this just happenstance? We may never know for sure, but it sounds like the actresses believed the Wailing Woman was at fault.
Another reported ghost is Stan Andrews. Who is Stan Andrews? I have no idea...and could not find any specific information on him. Reports state he is a ghost that is often heard wheezing around the backstage corridors at night and checks in on his ushers.
There is also a report of a full boys' choir said to haunt the auditorium. Which...I mean...wow! A whole choir? I'm not sure I would want to run into that type of haunting. The story goes that the boys' choir had their last performance at the St. James Theater during World War II before sailing off on tour. Not sure what happened, but reports state that their ship was never seen again, and workers at the St. James Theatre have claimed to hear the choir's music in the stands. Upon investigation, the music moves to separate parts of the seats. Again, I'm not sure I would want to deal with a whole choir of ghosts.
Reasons as to why the St. James Theatre is haunted vary. Some have said that the hall was built on a cemetery or burial ground, but that has never been proven. In 2005, the New Zealand television show Ghost Hunt investigated the St. James Theatre. They captured many paranormal photos and numerous orbs in the building. The elevator that was used among workers to move instruments from the orchestra pit to the loading bay malfunctioned.
So, is the St. James Theatre haunted? Are the reports all a figment of imagination? I can't answer any of that, but maybe you can visit the theatre and find out for yourself while enjoying a wonderful performance.
Happy ghost hunting!
--Audre
Wikipedia
Paranormal NZ
Wellington Conference and Event Venue
Sources:
Wikipedia
Paranormal NZ
Wellington Conference and Event Venue
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