The Salem Community Theatre joins historic theatres around the country with the donation of a Ghost Light that will become a permanent addition to the stage.
Salem Police Officer Ryan Meador told the theatre board Thursday night he felt the Salem Theatre needed a Ghost Light similar to those that are part of many Broadway theatres in New York.
“This is an older building and I thought it would be really cool to have it on stage. Because I heard about ghost lights and read about them and thought they would be a good addition to the theater. I did some research online and all of them were sold out. I got to thinking who is crafty with metal, and the first person that came to my mind was Andy Crouch and he found some stuff in his shop, put it together and it came out exactly what I thought a ghost light would be. He did a really good job.”
Meador says Crouch refused any money for his work. He was thanked by the theatre board and chairman Drew Johnson.
“Its going to add a lot of interest and value to not only the décor of the theater but the lore of the theater. It kind of ties us together with some of the theaters historically has had ghost light so to put one back in is not only a great thing for safety but if the legends are true it will also help with the bad spirits that could be in our theater and help improve our shows that way.”
Folklore has long claimed there are ghosts present in the theatre.
The Ghost Light will be placed at center stage when performances are over and will be moved to the side of the stage during use of the theatre.
