Theatre Superstitions

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Never say "Macbeth"

The superstition: Perhaps the best-known theatre tradition, the utterance of the word "Macbeth" is forbidden behind the scenes of almost all London theatres. To speak that forbidden word out loud is to invite disaster upon the production. Even the youngest, least skeptical cast members of the vast majority of West End shows would hesitate before using the real name of "the Scottish play" (as true thespians call it).

If a particularly superstitious cast member overheard you saying Macbeth out loud in a theatre you would be sent outside to spin widdershins (anti-clockwise) three times, spit, swear, and request re-entry to the theatre.

The reasoning: Blame the witches. In Shakespeare's time many people believed that real witches and real incantations were used on stage. In fact, some actors still believe that Macbeth's crones really were actual, hex flinging, crop blighting, toad fancying enchantresses.

This association with witchcraft led people to believe that the entire play was cursed and so it's name must never be spoken in a theatre.

No Whistling

The superstition: Whistling in a theatre is horrendously bad luck and anyone who whistles backstage is certain to come to harm.

The reasoning: In days gone by, sailors were often employed by theatres to work on the rigging. They were the obvious choice; they were good with ropes and knots; they were hardworking and after months at sea, working high above a stage full of performers probably felt like quite a treat.

The sailors used coded whistles as cues to drop heavy set pieces or sandbags. Therefore, anyone whistling backstage would likely have something very heavy dropped on their head. Not whistling in a London theatre started as an early form of health and safety and ended up ingrained in backstage culture as a superstition.

Ghost Lights

The superstition: A completely dark theatre is an open invitation for ghosts to come and stage their own production. To prevent unwanted spectral feet treading the boards, a single light is alway left burning centre stage.

The reasoning: Dark theatres are surprisingly dangerous places with lots of seats, steps, and set pieces to trip over. Heavy sandbags, curtains, and backdrops hanging above and all manner of pointy props lurk in dark corners in the almost always exceptionally cluttered backstage area. It's distinctly possible (but unproven) that this tradition started not to scare away ghouls, but to prevent accidents in gloomy theatres after hours.

Unlucky Blue

The superstition: The colour blue is particularly unlucky and should never appear on stage unless the bad luck is countered with silver.

The reasoning: Once upon a time, long before Primark, blue dye was very expensive. If an acting company was failing they would sometimes dye their costumes blue in a last-ditch attempt to impress the audience with their wealth rather than their talent.

Eventually, blue costumes became synonymous with failing acting companies unless of course, the actors wore lots of silver. Silver meant the company had a rich benefactor and so could never fail, no matter how bad they were.