Ghosts at the Carolina Theatre

The only confirmed “ghost” at the Carolina Theatre is our ghost light, the lone-standing electric light on the stage that is left turned on when the theater is unoccupied, pictured above. The practical use of a ghost light is for safety. A ghost light enables crew to navigate the theater to find the lighting control console and to avoid accidents such as falling into the orchestra pit and stepping on or tripping over set pieces, instruments, or wires. Aside from its obvious practical purposes, there are superstitions associated with the purpose of ghost lights.  A popular theater superstition is that every theater has a ghost, and ghost lights can either be used to appease or scare away the theater’s ghost. Some say ghost lights provide opportunities for ghosts to perform onstage in the light, thus appeasing them and preventing them from cursing the theater or sabotaging the set or production. Other superstitions claim that the ghost light is in place to scare away ghosts.

Rumor has it that other ghosts lurk in the shadows at the theater. Read about the otherworldly entities that presumably haunt the halls of the Carolina Theatre. 

Spooky Sounds near Donor Lounge

After the building has been cleared after a show, staff have heard piano music coming from the Victrola record player located outside the donor lounge on the third floor.

The Second Balcony Spector

Stagehands and performers have seen a little boy, dressed in vintage attire, appear in the second balcony while setting up the stage for performances.

The Basement Boogieman

A staff member would frequently hear whistling and footsteps of a passerbyer in the narrow hallway outside of their basement office. When they would pop their head out to say hello, nobody was there.

The Elevator Apparition

The elevator frequently opens on the second floor, with no one inside, and no one having called it to that floor in the first place. Staff have also experienced hearing a telephone ringing in the elevator, which they concluded was a telemarketer calling the emergency phone, but nonetheless sent eerie vibes throughout the building.

The Sacred Soul of the Ballroom

Recounted by her daughter, Mollie, and other Carolina Theatre staff, Connie Moses, the volunteer leader who helped restore the Carolina Theatre in the 70s, can occasionally be heard singing in the ballroom that bears her name.