by April Helms

Special Products Editor

"Theaters are among the most haunted places on earth," said Mark Dawidziak, Cuyahoga Falls resident and author, during a talk about theater ghosts at The Kent Stage Oct. 23.

The theaters ranged from London's Theatre Royal, New York's Palace Theatre and Virginia's Barter Theatre, to local theaters such as The Akron Civic Theatre and The Kent Stage itself. Afterwards, guests were taken on a short tour of the theater, where the "hot spots" were highlighted.

The Kent Stage was opened in 1927, Dawidziak said, on the site of an old mansion. The theater has its share of unusual phenomenon. The ghost most often reported is that of Albert DeVos, or "Woody," a former resident caretaker at the theater. Dawidziak said DeVos had ushered at the theater as a teen, and had both an apartment above the theater, and a cot just off the stage. He died in that cot, and was found Christmas Day in 1990. The area was pointed out during the theater tour.

"He was literally the resident caretaker of the theater," Dawidziak said. "He's a very friendly ghost, although he likes to pull practical jokes, such as locking the bathroom doors."

Staff and guests also have reported seeing a little boy, usually in the back of the auditorium in the balcony area, Dawidziak said. There is also one section in the theater where guests often report smelling wood smoke, as if something were burning, but investigations never turn up any fire.

Another apparition, who sometimes is seen in the tunnel under the theater and in the room where the theater's guests stay before a show, is "the mean ghost," Dawidziak said. This spirit, called "Daniel" by most of the staff, is rumored to be the spirit of a man who was murdered in that room.

Many of the staff members and volunteers shared stories about their own reported encounters or strange events: a trophy being moved from one room to the other. A strange stain that keeps reappearing even with numerous coats of paint. Taps on the shoulder by an unknown hand.

For more stories on both The Kent Stage and the Akron Civic Theatre, visit your local weekly newspaper Web site for an accompanying video.

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