The Superstitious Stage - A Backstage Peek at Actors and Traditions

The theater boasts a larger group of well-known, time-honored superstitions than almost any other collective body in history. Actors and actresses are renowned for an often obsessive preoccupation with hedging their bets and bringing success. Many leading performers insist on following the same routine before the curtain rises, carrying charms to ensure a consistent show, or steadfastly refusing even the most minute of costume changes if they have already had success while wearing it. Zsa Zsa Gabor, for instance, though famous for her priceless jewelry collection, always wore a worthless child's ring whenever she performed as a symbol of good luck.

Some of the superstitions may actually have a basis in fact. The dislike of excessive whistling or clapping backstage is thought to date to the olden days when these sounds were used to signal the need for a change of scenery. Stagehands often came from a sailing background where they would use these sounds to signal one another in the ship's rigging. Pucker up and blow unnecessarily during on of those early performances and you might just end up with a tree in the middle of your ocean scene, or the curtain coming down prematurely in the middle of the star's most dramatic soliloquy. Nowadays, whistling in the dressing room is probably one of the worst taboos and the offender may well be asked to leave the room, turn around three times, and spit or swear before he or she is allowed to return.

The color green also has a strong association with ill fortune and many actors will refuse to wear it. (A particular problem with works like Robin Hood who was known for always dressing in tunics the exact shade of leaves.) Entire casts have been known to return scripts bound in green, steadfastly refuse to carry their wallets, and have certain vegetables deemed off-limits to the caterers. This stems from the Medieval times when plays were performed on the village green so a performer wearing the color would not stand out from the background like his fellow players. (And we all know that every actor wants to stand out as much as possible!) As theater moved indoors, so did the superstition. A green floor cloth was laid on the stage for the entertainers to act upon and so the problem of not being seen was still there.

Other taboos connected with the theatre include:

• The complete absence of real flowers. (Save for the bouquet handed to the leading lady after her performance.) The reason for this is quite practical. Real flowers are more expensive than fakes and need to be replaced quite often. The petals may also fall off which could create a slipping hazard.

• Never group three lit candles together. This comes from the time of World War One: the first cigarette lit with a match gives the enemy your position, the second enables him to take aim, and the third stands for when he kills you.

• Never allow peacock feathers on stage. The "eye" in these feathers will cast an evil spell over the entire performance.

• If an actor drops a comb in the dressing room, they must leave it for someone else to pick up.

• Married actors find it very unlucky to remove their wedding ring. If it's truly unavoidable, they will cover it up with masking tape or make-up.

• Actors must never clean out their make-up boxes. And, if they accidentally spill them, the make-up must be gathered up quickly and haphazardly thrown back into the container.

• Never allow knitting in the wings or backstage. This will entangle the production.

• The presence of a cross-eyed person is considered ominous.

• A good dress rehearsal is considered a bad luck omen. Probably for the very good reason that it may promote a false sense of security.

• Picking up a thread of cotton from the dressing room floor and finding that it will go all the way around one's finger is said to be good luck among performers and a sign that a contract is in the offing.

• Accidentally falling over during the course of a performance is said to bring the entire production good fortune.

• A "ghost light" is a light often left lit onstage 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This enables the ghosts of the theater to perform their plays when no one else is around.

Yes, the theatre does have its fables and quirks. That's part of the allure. For no where else in this world are we ever so completely mesmerized, entertained, and enchanted than sitting before a stage. If you have the great luck of coming to Broadway to see a show, that's wonderful. But, if not, please don't worry. There's always tomorrow and the show must go on. We'll leave the light on for ya……….