There's something peaceful about empty theaters. The stage lights darkened (save for a solitary bulb), the curtain still, the seats empty, the props and costumes neatly tucked away.

There's also a haunting quality to them.

Many people will tell you that has a simple explanation — ghosts.

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Whether attributed to the spirits of actors and stagehands past or just the mishaps and miscues of a busy production, spooky and unexplained happenings seem inextricably tied to theaters, from the biggest houses on Broadway to the single-room shops spread out in communities across the world.

New Jersey's theaters are no exception. Check out stories from a few of the state's regional and community theaters that will leave you whistling a spooky tune.

Playhouse 22, East Brunswick

Some folks are so dedicated to the theater that they never leave.

Mel Boyd, former house manager of Playhouse 22 in East Brunswick, reportedly is one of them.

Adam Neary, executive producer and vice president of the playhouse, writes, "As a retired guy, he would go to the theater often during the day to paint something, build something, put new toilet paper in the bathrooms, whatever. That’s what he was doing the day he died. He had gone to the theater and apparently had a heart attack and ended up in the green room. It was during rehearsals for 'The Sound of Music' in April 1992. That night there was a rehearsal and some nuns went to the green room and found him there."

Neary says over the next few years, mysterious things started happening.

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"When working at the theater late at night you might hear music, a door closing, etc. We figured it was Mel and some people even talked to him."

Playhouse 22 moved to its current home at the East Brunswick Cultural Arts Center almost a decade ago. It brought a piece of the old theater's foundation to its new digs.

"It was put in a glass box ... so that we took a piece of our past with us. We put the rock in, and the lights went out. Someone made a comment about how Mel wanted to come with us, so we opened the box again and told Mel to 'jump on in.' "

It seems he did.

“This happened on two different occasions (shows) while I was at the soundboard writing board cues," said Monica Alia, who works on technical aspects of shows at the playhouse.

"A random pen would fly in the back of me and hit the sound tower, then fall to the floor. I looked down each time, saw the pen on the floor, and said, 'I know Mel, I just need to get these last few cues written and then I'm done for the night.' These were both on occasions when it was really late and I was tired, but needed to get this done.”

Mel also resorted to a little light shove to get the gal home.

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“The second encounter was when we were in tech week for 'Lost in Yonkers.' After rehearsal one night I needed to get some things adjusted with the sound. Everyone left and I was there by myself for about another hour. About an hour after everyone left, I felt someone push my shoulder from behind. I looked and no one was there. I said, 'OK, Mel.... I got the point... I'm going home now.' And I left.”

The theater's casts now hold a small ritual before each show to ensure their performances go well.

"At the new theater, we started the ritual during 'Putting it Together,' after a spot op found a 'Share a Coke with Mel' bottle at Wawa. Before every show, there’s a 'ritual' staged outside of the stage door offering a peace offering," Neary said. "Mel’s 'influence' is still very much part of our Playhouse family."

Growing up in East Brunswick, this reporter performed in and worked on technical crew for a number of shows at Playhouse 22.

One day during tech week for a show, we were rehearsing late. We finally wrapped for the night, shutting down all the equipment before leaving.

The lighting board had an individual power switch, which was turned off. There also was a main power control on the back wall of the theater, which also was powered down.

When we returned to the theater early the next morning, the stage was washed in eerie green and purple lighting.

Both power switches were still off.

We said good morning to Mel and went on with our rehearsal.

For more information about Playhouse 22, visit playhouse22.org.

The Grange, Howell

The Grange Playhouse in Howell is a converted schoolhouse that still contains an original chalkboard and wood-burning stove and furnace.

It also may be home to a little girl ghost named Rachel.

Sami DeSocio of Holmdel, a longtime participant at the playhouse, says a ghost hunter came in one Halloween and provided the spirit's name and age — about 6.

Rachel's alleged hijinks run the gamut from missing props and costumes to "creaks throughout the building that we can't explain, the lights being on when we swore we turned them off," and more, DeSocio said.

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"We were hanging out outside talking and the actors' entrance door flew open a few times (it's a heavy wood door), to the point where we kept thinking it was someone trying to leave the theater."

DeSocio herself has lost a T-shirt to the ghost's games. She left it on a couch and it vanished. More than two years have passed with nary a sighting.

For more information about the Grange Playhouse, visit thegrangeplayhouse.com/

Woodbridge Community Players

The Woodbridge Community players moved into their current home, The Theatre at Woodbridge Middle School, in 2012 after a number of years on the road.

It seems the theater already had an inhabitant.

“Little did we know we would be sharing our space with Cletus, a ghost who has inhabited the theater since the train wreck in Woodbridge years and years ago,” writes Ricki Cohn, the troupe’s director and producer.

“Luckily, Cletus seems to like us, but we have many many stories (and some pictures) of his shenanigans, sometimes during rehearsals and sometimes during performances.”

For more information about the Woodbridge Community Players, visit woodbridgecommunityyouthplayers.org/

Dover Little Theatre, Dover

The Dover Little Theatre practically invited their long-term guests.

The theater started in 1934 and its building previously was a funeral home, according to Larry Pelham, president of the theater company.

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He says there's the usual hijinks of hidden props, music turning down and lights misbehaving.

But the ghosts also seem to care about working too much.

"One night while working late on a set, at around 3 a.m. the curtains in the set window moved," Pelham writes.

"At first I tried to ignore it but as I looked over the curtain had been purposely pulled to one side and stayed there, as though someone was watching me. I calmly told them to come and sit and talk. The curtain slowly closed and the work lights began to dim. I guess it was their way of saying go home. So quickly did just that."

To learn more about the Dover Little Theatre, visit doverlittletheater.org.

Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park

"Asbury Park has haunted history everywhere," Kathy Kelly, owner of Paranormal Books and Curiosities, said in an interview last year. "There are places downtown, along the boardwalk, Wesley Lake..."

The Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park, which was completed in 1929 by Warren and Wetmore design, is 87 years old with a rich history.

It has been said that the theater is haunted — many will say there is a negative energy, others will see figures out of the corner of their eye.

In the 1950s, there was a fire that left two young girls dead, and in 1960s there was a suicide at the theater.

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“There (are) people who will say, ‘You're weird’ and what not, but I definitely feel like there's some of that energy,” said Jason Dermer, who has been working on audio inside the Paramount Theatre for nearly two decades. “Just some of the things that you see in this room, feel around this room. It’s never a negative energy, but you ask anyone who's been here a while, (they'll say), 'Yeah you've seen two girls sitting up in the balcony.

Watch the video above to see Dermer chat about the ghosts at the Paramount.

“Then you turn around and go where did they go? Or you'll catch something out of the corner of your eye. There’s just something a little different than what we understand day to day goes on here.”

Kelly said the Paramount is "super active."

"People see shadow figures, they sense a presence," she said. "(During one of our ghost investigations), people were overcome with emotion. They felt like they were being touched."

For more information about the Paramount Theatre, visit apboardwalk.com/portfolio/paramount-theatre.

The Strand, Lakewood

Denise Perks, the former house manager at the Strand in Lakewood, said in an interview last year that there have been two separate sightings of the same ghost at the theater.

"We kind of think that there's somebody there," Perks said with a laugh.

The first was in the 1970s when someone witnessed a diaphanous woman walk across the mezzanine to the pier.

The second sighting was about four years ago when one of the ushers heard a noise and thought someone was still left in the theater. Instead, he saw the same figure.

"He's a guy who doesn't believe in any of that stuff," Perks said. "It’s funny because neither one of these people talked to each other and they saw the exact same (ghost)."

Perks said those who worked in the theater have tried to speculate who the figure could be.

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"Because Broadway acts used to be tried out here," Perks said. "There were apartments that used to house the (actors). They felt it was either someone who didn't make it (in the industry) or someone who got murdered."

For more information about the Strand, visit strand.org.

And even more hauntings ...

Check out some more stories shared by readers on Facebook and by email. Have a ghost story you'd like to share? Email ikeller@gannettnj.com or reach out on Twitter: @ilanakeller.

Joann Colbert: "The Paramount in Asbury Park without a doubt.

"My son was in Scrooge there and had a rehearsal on a cold dark night that was running very late. The mothers were waiting in this dark red lobby with a few theatre lights hanging above the entrance.

"One mother made a statement that if the kids weren't out by ten o'clock she was going in and turning off the lights. Just as she said the word lights all the lights in the lobby went out and the massive chain over the door holding a light flew loose and swung across the entrance. I felt a brush of cold air over my cheek. I'll never forget it."

Kirsten Almeida, founder and president of Star of the Day Productions in Quakertown, Pennsylvania: "We are currently wrapping up our third season at McCoole's Arts and Events Place in Quakertown (4 S. Main St., Quakertown, PA 18951). It's a nearly 200 year old building with a 2nd story black box theatre which seats 188 people.

"Since our first season in 2015 many of us experienced paranormal activity. Never malicious though. Giggles, footsteps in a clumsy running pattern, lights that would go on and off on their own, etc.

"We asked the building owner and she explained that she was told the ghost was a young boy believed to be 6-9 years of age possibly the son of the original owners of the McCoole's Red Lion Inn. It is believed his name might have been James.

"As the years have progressed we have experienced things moving from their spots, whispering, and he has shown himself to two of our younger actors.

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"While waiting for my final entrance during a production of Big Fish last Fall 2016, the young boy in the show, visibly upset, asked me 'Miss K? Does this theatre have a ghost?' I didn't want to spook the kid so I innocently asked 'Why?'

"The young actor was chilling in the green room and he saw the reflection of star someone in the mirror walk into the green room. Except it was only him in the green room. He was sitting on the couch and not near the mirror where he'd be able to see himself. He looked up a few times and caught a glimpse of him. The young actor told me 'I think he's a little kid'

"I asked if someone told him about the ghost and if he was trying to play with me. He told me no and the reason he came backstage so early was because he didn't want to hang out in the green room alone.

"I simply told him 'Yes, I believe there is a young boy ghost residing in our theatre.' That we think he's between the ages of 6 and 9. That this wasn't always a theatre. That he lived in the late 1700s and since he was young when he died he probably died from sickness or accident. That the ghost isn't malicious. I also believe he showed himself to our young actor because he was young. He must have trusted him because no adult who had ever heard the giggling or footsteps had seen him.

"Fast forward to March 2017. We were doing Les Miserable School Edition. Even our crew was made up of students. Our Stage Managing apprentice was standing backstage facing the dressing room waiting for her next scene change when she noticed a boy next to her while looking at her reflection in the mirror. When she looked down there was no-one there.

"Her Mom sent me an email that the apprentice wasn't sure she wanted to return because this incident really spooked her. Her father ended up accompanying her the rest of the performances and would sit backstage for the girls peace of mind. I told her to talk to the boy who also had a visual encounter. (The boy from Big Fish was playing Gavroche)

"After the two exchanged stories we were all convinced it was the same young boy.

"We call him Stephen J. I'm our 2nd season we experienced an abnormally high rate of activity during a production of Sweeney Todd. So because Stephen Sondheim wrote Sweeney we started calling the ghost Stephen J. It has stuck ever since.

"When we enter the building we always say ' Hello Stephen J ' and when we leave we always say ' Thank You, Stephen J '

"We like our little ghost."

Michele Mueller: "The old Playhouse 22 was haunted by Mel a gentleman who did maintenance there for a long time. Mel died in the theater itself. I knew him well before he passed and he always loved to play jokes and be a wise guy.

"We were setting up for a magic show one afternoon years ago. The old light booth for Playhouse 22 was up in a perch at the back of the theater and we were on stage setting up props. All the lights suddenly went out as we were setting up. I sincerely thought we lost power. Then suddenly they all went back up to full and we were missing props that had been there a second ago.

"The person I was with said, 'Hey Mel cut that out!' The lights went out again. 'Mel?' Lights went to full and the prop was returned. We were completely freaked out. He probably was laughing at us."

Jennifer Valenti Robinson: "Circle Players in Piscataway, NJ has a ghost. I know several people, including myself, who have seen it. I was there painting by myself one night and I saw a man in an overcoat and hat close the 1 (o'clock) door, then turn the light on in there. When I went downstairs to see if I could find him, I saw his reflection in the mirror as you went down the stairs but when I turned around there was no one there."



Also at Circle Players:

Faith Dowgin: "There are many. I have my own - 2 actually. A man in a black coat in the 6 o'clock stairwell, who I passed after an exit during a performance. Thought he was a patron waiting to be seated, back when we still attempted late seating. Asked the (stage manager) about him later - she said no one came late and no one was on the stairs.

"Other time, I was in lobby. Heard the sound of furniture being dragged across the stage - except the stage had no furniture on it, and only other people at the theater were right outside the lobby door in the parking lot in plain sight."

Kacey Perinelli: "When I was in high school, I was in a show at Circle. When I arrived to the theater for rehearsal one night, I found two of my fellow actors perplexed. They told me the side door was locked, so they had tried the front door. It was also locked but they heard distinctive conversation and laughter coming from inside. They knocked but no one came to let them in. A few minutes later, the director arrived and, apologizing for being late, unlocked the door. The whole theater was dark and empty. No one was there."

Fran Leonardis: "When I started doing theater back in the early '90s, I work at a theater in Union City, New Jersey. It was called the Park Theater and was on 32nd Street.

"There was a fire there many years ago and the legend goes that a nun died in the fire I believe it was on a bridge leading from the theater to the adjoining school.

"When I first went there I always heard people say ‘oh that was the sister’ to explain any goings-on or things missing or just strange happenings in the theater.

"One night while we were rehearsing on the stage, I looked into the balcony and saw someone sitting there. I turned to my friend who had been working there for a while and I asked who was sitting up there. She looked up and saw no one then turn to me and said oh you must’ve seen the sister.

"She then told me a story about a couple that went to buy tickets, they purchased their tickets and then came back the evening of the performance. The box office had no record of the tickets and when they asked who sold them the tickets, the people said ‘oh it was a lovely old nun’

"This particular group always said a prayer asking her to bless their production. She was kind of a comforting presence if I’m honest."

Andy Gordanier: "The Brook Theater in Bound Brook which dates back to the '20s has one for sure. A projectionist who hanged himself in the booth. I've felt it every time I have been in that booth."

Elena M. Chalcraft: "I worked at a theatre in Milford, PA. The story was that the original owner had hung himself in the theatre. Before each performance, we would walk the stage and 'tell' the ghost what we were doing.

"The big show was 'Jesus Christ Superstar;' we were doing the hanging of Judas and all 3 crosses with harnesses.

"I had a horrible feeling the night before opening and called the stage manager. In addition to talking to the ghost and explaining that we were doing a hanging on stage, we checked the apparatuses for the stunts (which was SOP).

"However, this time we discovered that the cross pieces had been loosened since we had rehearsed the evening before. If we had done the stunts without checking again, the actors could have been hanged, literally."

Karen Shiffman Goldstein: Foothill Theatre, which was in Middlesex, was inhabited by the ghost of the owner's wife, Charlotte. She liked to move your makeup if you left it out in the dressing rooms."

Megan Andrews Kern: "Ocean County Performing Arts Academy at Lakehurst Navy Base "Black Box Theatre" in Hangar 1. (Site of the Hindenburg Disaster).

"Ghosts are believed to be the victims whose bodies were held in a makeshift morgue in the Hanger right after the disaster.

"In my personal experience (2001-2005) the ghosts tended to 'play' with us most during the day when we rehearsed for shows, by messing with the theatre sound system and setting off the fire alarms.

"We had the most experience with these ghosts when we were producing an original play that mixed time periods including WW2 era and the present. We had incidents all the time during rehearsals, and minutes before the show started the entire audience, cast and crew had to leave the building because of a fire alarm. As happened frequently, there was no sign of an actual alarm being pulled (according to the custodians). It just went off."

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Allyssa Battaglia: "Drew University is super haunted and I believe the Shakespeare theatre on campus is part of the stories. It was once a gymnasium and the story goes that the ghost Reggie is from that time and can be seen in his running shorts/workout outfit."

Amy Sellars: "Not in NJ, but The Historic Croswell Opera House in Adrian, MI has two notorious ghosts.

"Mr. Croswell resides in the hallway and he likes to play with the lights and disturbs items if you don't address him when locking up.

"And there is also the ghost of a female actress who haunts the balcony hallway. The story goes that she had an apartment there (which was used as a storage room because it was so active it couldn't be used as an office), and lived the place so much that she will follow you closely when you are in the balcony."

Contributing: Asbury Park Press archives

Ilana Keller: 732-643-4260; ikeller@gannettnj.com