SALT LAKE CITY — The spotlight at the Salt Lake Acting Company (SLAC) doesn't just illuminate the living.
Within the walls of the historic 19th Ward Meeting House, built in 1892, a host of spectral theatergoers and actors may also be enjoying the show or maybe just causing a bit of drama.
The slightly odd-looking structure served for decades as a place of worship before its transformation into a theater in the 1980s. Today, it’s home to SLAC and, according to many, several permanent residents.
Executive Artistic Director Cynthia Fleming is quite open about the company’s unique cohabitants.
THE UPSTAIRS THEATER
Speaking from the upstairs theater, currently hosting the Utah premiere of the play, The Roommate, Fleming noted the spiritual presence is less Poltergeist and more protective patron.
"This is your upstairs theater, and right now we're presenting the Utah premiere of The Roommate. This was the gym of when SLAC was a church," Fleming said.
Of a prior paranormal investigation, she added, "They confirmed the very protective, friendly ghosts that's in the upstairs theater.”
So, we pulled out an EMF Reader to investigate. Initial inquiries in the upstairs theater were quiet. But passing a dark hallway, the EMF reader began signaling a close presence with the reading peaked in a small back room.
"All right. Is anybody in this room here?” I asked to a flourish of lights.
One crew member exclaimed as the readings spiked. "Told ya.”
Every time I got closer to the energy, however, it seemed to get weaker, almost as if it was trying to move away from me
THE CHAPEL THEATER
The crew then moved downstairs to investigate stories circulating about the ticket booth and the former chapel, which is now aptly named the Chapel Theater.
Both yielded very little, but in a room down the hall, another tale unfolded.
Fleming told us of a room where the light was frequently left on, even after being turned off. Asking in that room, “Do you like to turn the light on?” We got a strong spike to the gasps of the crew that was following us
But just as quickly as the readings came, the spectral activity often dissipated.
THE PIT: THE FINALE
For the true grand finale, Fleming led the investigation into the theater's pit, an area renowned for the most intense activity.
"The pit is like that's the finale," Fleming said, detailing the reputation of the resident entity. "It is like an angry ghost, but it won’t hurt you," she assured the crew before entering the dark space. "So, it's in this corner. Okay. And if we go inside here, just be careful.”
As everyone crowded in, asking if anyone was present, the EMF reader immediately "went wild." Yet, after that one explosive moment, the readings went silent, leaving the crew with a taste of the paranormal.
It wasn't until the team spoke with Erik Reichert, SLAC’s Props Designer and Construction Supervisor, that they found a possible clue to the supernatural hide-and-seek. "So, right along here, you know, there's like a cold spot that happens," Reichert pointed out near a different area. "Just in this area for sure. And then, you know, it feels like they're heading that way, of course, into the pit.”
Reichert then revealed a piece of the building's history, showing them the old coal room, hidden inside the pit, that once powered the church's heater.
"So, there's a lot of places for something to hide," he said. "If you look back there, there's a tunnel that goes all the way that way. Oh, yeah. There is definitely a tunnel. Yep. There's a whole mysterious world of rooms in this place.”
As they were talking about these hidden passageways, the EMF reader, held by FOX 13 News photographer Mark Feijó, went crazy again.
"I was just moving this a little bit here, back and forth, and it was going well into the red. Everybody witnessed it, and I'm trying to see if there was some kind of interference of something, and I can't get it to do it right now," Feijó said.
Whether it’s the tunnels, the pit, or the old chapel, the spirits seem to have found their preferred haunt. "We love our ghosts at Salt Lake Acting Company," Fleming concluded, suggesting that the best seats in the house may often be taken by the spectral occupants.
Perhaps the next standing ovation at SLAC will truly be one from beyond the grave.