The Hauntings at the Purple Rose Theatre: Chelsea, Michigan

Jeff Daniels sat in and spent an hour with me on my show in the early 2000s. I also spoke with him at the premiere of his film “Super Sucker” back in 2002. Not once did he mention about his Purple Rose Theatre being haunted.

Well…..I never asked him, either.

But, that’s the rumor…and employees usually back up that claim. According to various people, there are two major ghosts: a young girl and a sixty-year-old man. They are basically friendly – unless somebody forgets to turn on the theater ‘ghost light’ at night. If that light ain’t on, then the two spirits show their displeasure. They’ll re-arrange stage props, make a few noises, and be seen out of the corner of the eyes of performing actors (as a way to throw them off, maybe?).

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The male ghost is more often seen in the auditorium at seat MM15, and the girl apparition was seen in an area across the stage.

One reporter who arranged to be there late at night showed up at 2AM and heard a low-sounding organ playing in some ethereal place within the theater. As soon as the back door was shut, the music abruptly ended.

One employee reported, “I was in the attic space where we store costumes and props, looking for a pair of pants to wear…..Not having any luck finding my size, I eventually arrived near the wall and stopped dead in my tracks. I froze, listening intently as the faint sound of a (inhuman) sigh crescendoed toward me.“

According to another employee,  “I was alone in the lobby, locking up for the night. I had just turned off all of the lights and was walking the length of the hall in the dark when I felt someone behind me…..I was certain that it was our theatre ghost who had come up behind me…..I remember feeling like the ghost was curious, almost as if they were saying ‘You’re new. What are you doing here?’ I scurried downstairs and that was that.”

So, like any good theater, yeah…it appears the Purple Rose has its share of theater spirits to keep the actors and stagehands on their toes…and that’s the way it should be.

“They just like to say hello from time to time.” 

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