10/26/2026
A Midsummer Night’s Dream has wrapped. It’s always bittersweet when a show as amazing as this one ends. Well done and congratulations to the cast and crew! This is the theater’s “ghost light.” What is that you may ask? A ghost light is a single, exposed electric bulb on a portable stand left burning on an unoccupied theater stage overnight or between productions. But why? Here are several possible answers: Between shows, the ghost light became a symbol that the theater was resting, not dead, and that the living would eventually return. Practically speaking, though, it prevents crew members, cleaners, or staff from falling into unlit hazards like the orchestra pit, tumbling off the edge of the stage, or tripping over hidden set pieces and trapdoors. Historically, gas-lights in the 19th century, needed to relieve pressure so a single light was left burning to relieve that pressure in the system or prevent small explosions. Theater superstition and lore says the light allows the memories to live on and continue to shine. I like the last one best.
