“I was stabbed at the Adelphi Theatre. I cannot rest.”: Nineteenth-Century Theatre Ghosts

A talk by Dr Catherine Quirk

Lecturer in Drama, Creative Arts Department, Edge Hill University

To many historians, the Victorians invented the theatre ghost. Innovations in theatre technology over the first half of the nineteenth century meant that ghosts, vampires, fairies—all things supernatural—were an expected part of the business of the stage. But what happens when those who play the ghosts refuse to exit on cue?

This talk will explore the technologies that allowed ghosts to appear on the nineteenth century stage, and will tell the stories of some ghostly figures who keep the nineteenth-century stage with us to this day. Why were the Victorians so fascinated by the spectacle of a spectre? And why won’t their spirits leave the theatre?

Booking is required before 4pm on Wednesday 3 November. The talk will be presented using Zoom. You will receive an email invitation to join a Zoom meeting just after 4pm on Wednesday 3 November.

Zoom

Joining a Zoom meeting is quick and easy!

You will receive an email invitation to join a Zoom meeting. Open your email invitation and click the ‘join Zoom meeting’ link. You will then be prompted to either ‘download & run Zoom’ or ‘launch from your browser’. If the host has not yet started the meeting, a message will appear and you will be ‘let in’ when the host starts the meeting. If the host has already started the meeting you will automatically join the group. You are not required to have/turn on your own video and audio, unless you wish to do so. The Atkinson is unable to offer technical support to participants.