I Thought Someone Had Stayed to Watch Rehearsal

I was involved in a production at Dock Street Theatre several years ago. It wasn’t a ghost tour or anything like that. I was there because of the show, and honestly I didn’t know much about the theater’s reputation until afterward.

One afternoon I had the stage to myself for a little while. Everyone else had stepped out for a break, and I stayed behind because I wanted to run through a scene a few more times.

The theater was completely quiet. If you’ve ever been in an old theater when it’s empty, you know how different it feels without an audience. Every sound seems louder.

I finished one of my scenes and just stood there for a second collecting my thoughts.

That’s when I heard it.

A few people clapping.

Not a full audience. Just what sounded like three or four people applauding politely from somewhere out in the house.

It only lasted a couple of seconds.

I smiled because I honestly thought some of the cast had come back in without me noticing.

I even said, “Thanks.”

When I looked out toward the seats, there wasn’t anybody there.

I figured maybe they were standing in the back where I couldn’t see them, so I walked down off the stage and looked around.

The theater was empty.

A few minutes later everyone else came back from their break, and I asked if somebody had slipped back into the audience for a minute.

They all looked at each other and said they’d been outside the whole time.

One of the crew members laughed and asked, “Was it applause?”

When I said yes, he just smiled and said, “You’re not the first person.”

That was the first time anyone mentioned that the theater had a reputation.

I’ve thought about that afternoon a lot over the years.

Maybe sound carried from somewhere else in the building.

Maybe I misunderstood what I heard.

But it really did sound like a handful of people politely applauding after the scene was over.

And I’ll admit… if it was an audience, they were very generous.