Ghost Light - according to the very viable research tool, Wikipedia, a ghost light is “an electric light that is left energized on the stage of a theater when the theater is unoccupied and would otherwise be completely dark” (wikipedia). The ghost light is a simple lamp that is placed in the middle of the stage of a theatre. It is usually a naked bulb on top of a lamp post, and sometimes it is up on caters so it is easy to transport around at the beginning and end of the day.
There are a couple useful reasons why theatre folk put these out. One is because the fire department says to so in case of an emergency firefighters can see. Another reason is so when the first person to come into the theatre doesn’t fall off the stage or run into potentially dangerous set pieces.
Now, theatre people are also superstitious (shocking to learn I’m sure) and those people would say that we put out the ghost light out so the ghosts can play when the theatre is empty, and if we don’t put out the ghost light then the ghost get angry and that’s when they mess with your show. So, put out the ghost light, they will leave your production alone, then everyone is happy.
A ghost light, to me, has so much more meaning than just a light that is out on the stage. I have a tradition before every show that I stage manage. I will go into the theatre and sit in a seat in the audience and just look at the stage with nothing on but the ghost light. I look at the glow that the single light sheds onto the empty space and picture what is about to happen on that stage over the next 6-10 weeks. I picture the people who will make the story come off the page. I picture the set that will start to rise off of the deck of the stage. I picture the lights that will be hung and focused and create the atmosphere of each part of the show. I think about what the sounds and music that will accompany the show and put us all into the place of the show. I think about the dozens of people who will put their energy, blood, tears, laughs, knowledge, talents, and love into this piece of art that will entertain, educate, and move the hundreds-to-thousands of people who come sit in the same seats that I am in at that moment.
Right after the last dress rehearsal, when our last run thru before we open has finished, after the last notes have been given and the actors leave ready to come back to an audience, after the director has left saying, “well, it’s your show now,” after I’ve locked everyone out of the theatre, I will turn the lights off and just sit there to reflect on where we have come from at that point. All the rehearsals, all of the discovery, all of the laughs, all of the tears, all of the bonding that has taken place in the cast, all of the designers’ visions coming to life, all of the director’s ideas being given to the actors coming together to create the wonderful story. To be honest, a lot of the time this is when I cry. It is really the only time I’ve sat down all week by myself for a minute and all the emotion and exhaustion from tech week hits me at once. But, this is when I listen to the building settle and I hear the voices of the actors and the director and the theatre ghost and the people who have helped me get to this point and I realize that the show is mine and I can lead the ship to where it is supposed to go.
Just before the last performance I like to sit in the theatre once again, with nothing on but the ghost light and reflect on everything that we have done. All the people we have affected with our art, all the friends and family we have entertained, all the strangers that feel like they have met our characters, all of the actors, technicians, designers, directors, theatre staff that I have interacted and held a sense of community among with, and just think how lucky I am to get to do something that I love so much! I also look ahead to a few hours when all that work, anywhere from 6-14 weeks worth of work will all be torn down to nothing but a bare stage. From the last bow and through strike we take the world that we have all created and put it away. It’s always sad, but it’s also amazing to think that we created a world and now it’s time to move to a new one. It’s time to create more art that is something totally different and will reach more people. My play is done, but it will not be forgotten. What’s really cool is when you are taking down a set and see that a piece of wood that they used from a different show is there. What’s even cooler is when that piece of wood is from a show that you worked on. You look at that piece of wood and realized that while it was used for your world, for your play, it was also used to create art for someone else. And isn’t that what theatre is all about, creating art for someone else?
The ghost light is the one thing in the theatre that is a constant for me. The one thing that no matter what show I am working on will always be there. The one thing that will remind me that there is light in the dark times of each show. The ghost light reminds me that this art is fleeting, that this show will not be like any other show you will ever do, and that is ok. Theatre as an art form is ever changing, there are many different types of plays and different types of players, and no matter how hard you try, no two shows will ever be the same, but the one thing that will remain constant is that ghost light. Sometimes we just need to be reminded that in this weird world that we love to be a part of, when everything is flying around and going crazy, the one thing that will always be there, standing tall and shining bright, is the ghost light.
All of these reasons are why I decided to get a ghost light tattooed on me permanently. Every time I look at my arm I am going to be reminded that no matter how nuts life gets, inside the theatre or out, I will always have the brightness of the ghost light there to show me that it’s all going to be ok. That when there seems to be nothing but darkness, when it seems like I have no direction or know where to look, that all I have to do is look for the shine of the ever present ghost light, and all will be just fine.
Just remember, at the end of the day, the ghost light will always be there for you, and the ghost, to play.