The Marquee

I feel as though it is my duty to inform you of the damage that the theater sustained. However, this is tricky business—how do I do it without exposing any personal bias or sob stories about how the solution to this problem is money? (I already DID an entry on WUFIP, darn it!)  Further, I’m not even going to pretend to know the structural complexities of this establishment. (How many times do I have to tell you that I’m just an English major??!) Therefore, Ralph Russo, Cultural Arts Director extraordinaire and the paramount voice of the theater, has prepared an official statement for you…which would normally be fine by me, except for the fact that his official statement is boring, as all official statements are. Therefore, I have “Laurenized” it for you, free of charge!

“Heavy rains and a burst chilled water pipe caused flooding in the lobby and backstage areas of the theater. (Our sh*t got wet). Significant damage was done to the wood veneer coverings in the lobby area, and they will need to be repaired or replaced at significant cost.  (Whose idea was wood veneer anyway?? I mean, seriously. But I digress. They’ve become all wrinkly and discolored, which are dangerously unsexy traits for wood to have). The wood floor in the scene shop area is heavy damaged and will also need to be replaced.  (I hear the hottest new thing in flooring is cork. Maybe we should try that. It is impervious to water, after all.)

The carpet throughout the theater lobby will have to be replaced sooner than expected since it has been damaged and discolored by the veneer glue dripping on it. (We’re not talking interior design here, folks—although I wish we were. What a project!! We don’t have the luxury of saying we must replace the carpeting because it’s shag or something equally disgusting. Things could be worse. ) The flooding was due in large part to old ineffective drains located on the outer theater balcony and to the busting of chilled water lines located under Park St. right next to the Union Theater. (Not our fault!) 

It’s also likely the doors leading out to the second floor balcony will need replacement, as thresholds for these doors have been damaged over the years by slow leaks. (They’ve been dying a slow and painful death, kinda like the career of Tony Danza. A smack in the head to whoever thought giving him a talk show was a brilliant idea).

Perhaps the most severe damage occurred in the Theater’s basement where the
Union’s Art Collection is stored and the Union Computer Support staff is located. Also the Union’s Game’s room has been damaged.  (Who cares about them anyway?? No, just kidding–don’t send me letters.)  Currently all of these areas have tested high for mold spores.  (An undiscovered market for the Claritin salespeople??) As of today, these areas are still evacuated. (I can’t think of anything witty to put here. I guess that means it’s time for me leave). “

Did You Know? Ghosts in the Theater  

By Esty Dinur 

Walk onto the Wisconsin Union Theater’s stage at night and you’ll find a lone light to guide your way. Nestled in a squirrel cage on a stand, it is known as the ghostlight. It is there to ensure that people don’t crash around…and so that the theater’s ghosts have a light and can feel welcome.

Theater ghosts tend to be the spirits of people who died in them. According to former Director Michael Goldberg, the Union Theater is home to two ghosts. One is a construction worker who died in a work-related accident in 1939, when the theater was being built. The second was a percussionist with the Minneapolis Symphony. The orchestra played here on March 12, 1950, introducing its new musical director, Antal Dorati. Just before the intermission, an unrehearsed crash was heard in the percussion section. The substitute timpanist had a heart attack, collapsed, crawled off-stage and died before a doctor who was in the audience could reach the backstage area.

After the intermission, the manager walked onto the stage and announced the tragedy. The orchestra played the somber second movement from Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony while the shocked audience filed out.

Goldberg used to sometimes find himself all alone in the theater in the wee hours, after the last crew person had left and when all the doors had been locked. He never saw a ghost but he had often felt a presence, heard someone walking, or some other sound that didn’t fit.

 Ralph Russo, the theater’s current director, has had his own late night experiences. “I always hope to see a ghost, but never have,” he says.  “When I’m the last to leave, I’ll often stand in the middle of the stage and listen and look up at the lighting cove  -  it’s never completely quiet and there are always strange eerie noises and sometimes, not always, the ghost light will reflect off the lights in the cove, giving the impression of ghostly movement.” Combine the two and it’s a guarantee for goose bumps.

He reports of other ghostly thoughts: “sitting in the theater alone,  I sometimes wonder who may have sat here on opening night, Oct….1939?  How many times were they thrilled by what they saw or heard here?  I feel the presence of the millions of people who have enjoyed a program here over the past 66 years. How loud would their combined applause be?”  

Do you have an interesting theater-related story? Send it Esty Dinur at the theater, or email to edinur@wisc.edu. Please enclose a phone number.