The spooks and superstitions that haunt a Glasgow theatre

Mark O'Neil is a tour guide at the King's theatre, a venue rich in eerie tales

It arrives after the crowds have departed, and the last performer has taken their bow.

For staff at the King's Theatre in Glasgow, clearing up at the venue has often brought with it an added presence in the auditorium that sends a shiver down the spine.

"When they’re in the auditorium after a show, when they’re the only ones there and it’s feeling eerie as it is – on the two top galleries the seats will flip up and down by themselves", says Mark O'Neil, a tour guide at the venue.

Such a spirit might not be enough to call in an exorcist or trouble the Ghostbusters but it's one of a number of spooks and superstitions that run through the famous old building.

The King's is one of Scotland's most popular theatres

"The seat tipper ghost is the most famous and the most common", adds Mark.

"For many, many years front of house staff have reported hearing it. The head stage doorkeeper told us that one day she tried to catch it happening and sat in there by herself.

"She sat there but nothing happened and she started to look at her book – and as soon as she did that she heard the seats start to tip, tip, tip."

Mark is fascinated by ghost stories

There have been other eerie encounters in the venue, perhaps unsurprising given the building has been open since 1904.

"About a year ago a woman complained that she was sitting in the upper circle and during the show someone started to approach in the middle aisle with a big coat, a hat and what she described as ‘big mutton chops,’ says Mark with relish.

"This figure told her to get out of the seat before walking off towards the ladies toilet. We got a bit curious and what is now the ladies toilet was once a saloon. Maybe he was looking for it?"

Mark, 36, has worked as a tour guide for around a decade and runs his own company, Where Now Tours. He is well versed in the history of the King's, running both normal tours of the venue and, for this year, special ghost themed trips that tie in with Halloween.

"A paranormal hunting group went into the King's with a reporter a few years ago – they wanted to communicate using dowsing rods with the other side," he adds.

"They said they managed to ask questions and get answers. It was a woman, not from Glasgow, who was not an actor but worked backstage.

"The thing that interests me is that while a ghost hunting group are obviously looking to find something, it was actually the reporter who was holding the rods at the time - maybe that adds credence to it."

For Mark there is a "fascination" with ghost stories, and he feels theatres offer a rich setting for paranormal tales.

"I find them quite scary at times, and it's a safe way to interact with the part of you that likes being scared. I particularly love ghost stories attached to theatres, because they are constantly being added to and told by people who are themselves very creative.

"They are always a bit surprising and fun."

Superstitious beliefs

Such an attitude runs through not just ghost stories at the venue but many traditional theatre superstitions too. Those beliefs still crop up today, even in an era arguably more cynical than before.

Whether it's referring to Macbeth as "the Scottish play" or avoiding whistling while onstage - something rooted in the fact many sailors worked as stagehands in the past and their nautical background meant they might take a whistle as a cue to lower or raise scenery.

"The general public are a lot more cynical and view superstitions as a tradition rather than anything that’s actually dangerous," says Mark.

"But people in theatres tend to have a more creative outlook on life, and maybe they’re more willing to take these things onboard.

"The absolute cardinal sin is wishing an actor good luck, because it's seen as tempting the spirits there. They’re seen as tricksters more than actively harmful, so if you wish someone good luck they’ll want to do the opposite."

A spectre is said to move around the seats after performances

As for Mark himself, he has yet to experience any sort of poltergeist in the King's but he did have an unsettling encounter while working in one of Glasgow's other famous arts venues.

"When I was younger I took part in Alien Wars at the Arches," he recalls, mentioning the interactive shows that ran there during the 90s, and again in 2008 and 2009.

"Apparently during the Spanish flu epidemic they used part of the Arches as a makeshift morgue. When I was down there, one night in particular, I always felt like there was someone standing next to me, just leaning in and always whispering."

And what of the spooky seat tipper that seemingly haunts the King's?

"Some believe it’s a spirit looking for something that they lost long ago under the seats. Others believe it’s just the temperature in the building changing between shows and causing the metal to expand or contract – which one you believe is open to personal preference.

"I believe in the more interesting story myself… "