Why is it bad luck to say good luck to actors?
THE theatre industry is packed with superstitions. As The Haunting completes its run at the Little Theatre after chilling audiences all week, our three actors will still avoid wishing each other good luck before the final shows – because that is, of course, bad luck!
Instead they’ll offer up a traditional ‘break a leg’!
So why wish such a seemingly painful fate on each other?
There are a raft of different explanations for the origin of ‘break a leg’, including enthusiastically stamping Greeks, Elizabethans smashing their chairs and actor turned assassin John Wilkes Booth injuring himself as he leapt from the box after gunning down Lincoln.
By far the most plausible theory comes from the days of music hall in the 19th century – around the time The Haunting was set.
Back before the invention of TV, cinema and computer games, the masses would seek out theatres to enjoy a bill of variety acts.
Theatrical impresarios would, as a matter of course, overbook acts in case someone was booed off early, a star turn had been poached by a rival at the last minute or the fickle tastes of the ever-rowdy audiences meant one kind of performance was going down better than another on any particular night.
The life of a theatre performer was hard.
They only got paid if they made it on to the stage and were seen by the crowds and that wasn’t guaranteed.
The sight lines in the wings at the sides of the stage were called ‘ leg lines’.
If an act was ushered on, they crossed the line and so ‘broke the leg’ and walked into view.
Break a leg therefore simply means – I hope you make it on and get paid!
As well as avoiding saying ‘ good luck’ another pitfall for thespians is any mention of ‘the Scottish Play’.
The name of Shakespeare’s dark work of royal ambition and betrayal strikes fear into many actors; it is thought to be cursed.
There are tales of terrible occurrences, unexpected accidents and even deaths after someone has casu- ally uttered a careless ‘Macbeth’ backstage. And woe betide anyone who casually whistles in the wings!
This isn’t because it may distract others or echo on to the stage, although that is a risk, it has a very sensible origin.
Again back in the 18th and 19th centuries, most stage crews were exsailors, recruited for their skills in climbing rigging and using ropes and pullies.
They used a series of coded whistles to communicate as they had done at sea.
A misplaced whistle by an actor could have easily led to a flat coming in at the wrong time or a stage weight dropping on them from above.
They’d soon realise their mistake – but not for long!
The Haunting closes on Saturday, December 2.
Tickets for our next production, the spectacular panto Aladdin, are on sale now at the box office - 01704 530521 / 530460.
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