Overview

The informant describes a ghost said to haunt his local theater in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. The informant was a competitive dancer and many of his dance competitions took place at this theater. Everyone said that the theater was haunted and there were many reported sightings in bathrooms. According to local chatter, if you flickered the lights and looked in the mirror you’d see the ghost behind you. Ghost hunters came to the theater to try to summon the ghost and at competitions the informant would always exchange stories with other kids. 

Other Citation

The Alabama Theater was documented as haunted here, too: http://www.southernspiritguide.org/but-a-walking-shadow-birmingham-alabama/ 

Thoughts

A place of performance and gathering seems to be a recurring location to find ghosts. The Phantom of the Opera is a prime example of this. The other citation also provides an interesting explanation as to why theaters possess ghost-related folklore: “theaters often harbor the ghosts of actors, writers, musicians and directors because something about their creative natures ties them to the place where they experienced their greatest successes or failures.” If places of great passion, triumph, and failure are the home to many spirits, I wonder which other general locations house ghosts.