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Ghosts of the Loretto-Hilton Theater
As a theater student at Webster University in St. Louis, I had plenty of encounters with at least one ghost backstage. The main theater on campus was the Loretto-Hilton Theater, home of not only the Conservatory of Theater Arts at Webster University but also the Repertory Theater of St. Louis and Opera Theater of St. Louis.
We called the ghost of the master electrician Stillman.
One evening my friend Lawrence and I were working in the design studio late into the night. I took a break and wandered down the hallway. While I was headed back toward the design studio and was in the corridor, not quite at the green room, I thought someone was walking on my right. I turned to look directly… and they were gone. I thought I might be going crazy.
Back in the design studio, I asked Lawrence, “What does it mean when you think you see someone in the hallway but nobody’s there?”
“It means you’re overworked and need sleep.”
Fast forward some months. I listened to other students talk about seeing ghosts in the green room, the corridor, and the catwalks. I learned the Loretto-Hilton Theater has two ghosts: one is in the shop, where scenery is built, and the other is Stillman, the master electrician. I recalled the occasions I was walking in the corridor and thought I saw someone out of the corner…