Centenary Spooks: MLP and Hurley

Centenary is an old college, so it’s no surprise that it has its fair share of things that go bump in the night, and I’m not talking about the raccoons you’ll sometimes see digging through the campus trash cans—I’m talking about the ghosts, the supernatural things that inhabit the various buildings of Centenary. For this Halloween season, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the various hauntings on campus, and today, we’ll be starting with two of the performing arts buildings: Marjorie Lyons Playhouse and the Hurley School of Music.

As a theatre major, I spend most of my time in Marjorie Lyons (often abbreviated to MLP). And sometimes, like many other majors, I’ll stay in MLP until very late in the night, and it’s then that the two ghosts of MLP come out to play. Yes, two: Joe, who circulates around the stage and backstage, and Christine, who migrated from the costume house to the light booth. Personally, the only interaction I’ve had before was with Joe, but it was one I’ll never forget. While walking to the office area, where Don Hooper and Logan Sledge’s offices are, I saw my friend Chase duck behind a corner, obviously attempting to hide so he could jump out and scare me, and I knew it was Chase because of his red hair. Rolling my eyes, I walked forward and said out loud, “Haha, very funny Chase”—only to find no one behind the corner. I paused, and turned around, looking down the hallway. I called out for Chase, and he poked his head out of the costume room, which is located on the opposite side of the theatre, down the hallway. And that’s when I realized I had seen Joe.

Joe is known to be a bit of a prankster and enjoys messing with people backstage. Older theatre majors often told me the story of how one day, one of the dozens of pictures of shows MLP has performed on the wall fell and cracked its glass. When someone picked the frame up, it was Macbeth, a famously haunted play that causes lots of spooky things in theatres to happen. Arden Miller, a senior theatre major, had a similar experience to mine during a rehearsal for the play Really Really.

Because the show featured scenes of heavy issues, rehearsals were closed, meaning that no one could come into the theatre during those rehearsals. As Assistant Stage Manager, Arden had posted signs all over the theatre saying not to come in, but while sitting backstage, they suddenly noticed a tall man in a dark suit watching the actors onstage. Arden didn’t recognize them as one of the many DPS officers on campus, and by this time, the doors of the theatre had locked, meaning only majors could get in, and all the majors knew that rehearsals were closed that night. Arden quickly ran to the other side of the stage to ask them to leave—only to find no one there. And after Arden looked around backstage, they found that there wasn’t anyone else in the theatre besides those involved with the show.

Christine, on the other hand, also likes to cause some trouble. The only interaction I’ve had with her was while standing in the light booth. The door slammed shut behind me, but since I was so tired that day, I wasn’t scared at all and only said “Christine, it’s rude to slam doors.” Probably not the best thing to say to a ghost, I realize now, but since then I’ve had little issues with her.

AR Rossomando, a fellow theatre major, was witness to a much more creepy interaction with Christine, along with Arden and lighting designer KP:

“This story took place in the late fall of 2021 during the writer's circle. I, KP, and Arden were all hanging out in the back of the house, keeping KP company as she worked on light cues. It was late, probably around 11 pm to 12 am and I feel that it's important to note that the lights had been glitching frequently throughout the night leaving KP annoyed and with more work to do than before. Lights would flicker on and off, some being turned on and unable to take out, and light cues completely changed or erased. But right when we thought things couldn't get weirder, Arden left into the lobby to use the restroom, leaving me and KP alone. We had been discussing nonsense to pass the eerie time. Suddenly, out of nowhere, I hear this not-so-faint laughter coming from behind us in the lobby. It was as if a little girl was running past, giggling at us trying to keep calm. In pure shock, and in close unison, KP and I turn to look at each other. "Did you just—" "Was it just me or—" We had both heard the same laughter in the same little girl tone. Arden shortly returned and we confronted them asking if they had heard the laughter or could have been the source of it. They were unaware of the encounter and had been on the complete opposite side of the lobby to have been the culprit. And to this day, KP and I shudder at the memory of this event that we hold so vividly in our minds.”

On that spooky note, let’s look now at another ghost who’s caused some vivid memories, the one located in the Hurley School of Music. Music majors have told me about their late nights in Hurley on the third floor, where practice rooms with pianos are located. During their late nights of practicing, many have witnessed a woman’s face peer into their room from outside, watching them practice, and it’s common to feel like you’re being watched, or that someone’s in the room with you. It’s speculated by everyone that this spector is Ms. Hurley, the main donor for the entirety of Hurley.

Avery Olive, a recent graduate, was practicing piano late one night during her freshman year. Because of the heavy doors on the third floor, you can hear if someone else comes in, and that night, Avery neither heard anyone come in, nor saw any other lights on. After practicing, she turned off the lights and left the room, which happened to be at the end of the hallway. Out of the silence around her came the sound of someone else playing piano, at the opposite end of the hallway, but not just any piece, as she told me:

“I stood there for a second until I realized that the piano was playing the exact same piece that I was just practicing. I took a couple of steps towards it, and when I saw that there were no lights on where the song was coming from I just left really quickly.”

These supernatural experiences are certainly ones that will haunt both theatre and music majors for a long time (pun completely intended). In the next few issues, I’ll be discussing some of the other spooks that can be found at Centenary, but until then, sleep tight, and try to ignore those bumps you might hear in the night.

(If you have a ghost story you’d like to share about Residence Halls or any building on campus, please email me at mcaruthers@my.centenary.edu)

Special thanks to Avery Olive, AR Rossomando, and Arden Miller for their help on this article!