Members of the Southside Theatre Guild have long heard the tale of Fred, the theater ghost. It is said that when things go awry during a rehearsal or performance, or if you hear strange noises while working back stage or in the props or costume loft, it is just Fred making mischief. Though Fred is just a story, members of the Ghost Hounds network had heard several stories about strange occurrences at the Fairburn theater and asked if they could spend the night and do an investigation. Permission was granted and the results are in. Apparently, there is activity at the theater and it is not limited to the cast and crew of the current show.

Denise Roffe and Loretta Brown were two of the Ghost Hounds investigators who spent the night, along with guild members Heather May and Keith Anderson. They brought audio and video recording equipment and over 10 years of investigative experience to the theater. Among the stories they heard that night and leading up to their investigation involved theater members hearing footsteps or doors open, only to find no one around, and seeing shadows and reflections for people who weren’t there as well.

Though no video evidence was obtained during their stay, the Ghost Hounds investigators did record six electronic voice phenomenons (EVP). An EVP is an audio recording where the audio can’t be attributed to the voice of anyone present. There are several classifications of EVP, from Class A, which is clear, to Class C, hard to hear. The EVPs recorded at Southside Theatre Guild are of varying quality, but one of them frightened a Ghost Hounds investigator so much she quit the group.

Among the EVPs are recordings of a man’s voice saying, “Shh, they’re calling me,” and a woman’s voice speaking over the two investigators while they sat on a couch back stage. The EVP that scared off an investigator was barely audible to those present at the presentation by the investigators last Sunday. She heard the word “tegpa,” which is a Tibetan word that means “riding beast” or “way of transportation.”

In addition to the EVPs, members of the Ghost Hounds also felt a couch shake and felt hands touch their arms while they were in the light booth. Their findings were enough to request another over night visit later this summer. Roffe hesitates to use the word haunting but thinks there is intelligent spiritual activity at the theater.

“Residual activity is a spirit following a routine and not interacting with other people present. For example, someone who came in at the same time every day, shut a certain door and turned on a light and these things still occur after that person died due to an imprint,” said Roffe. “Intelligent activity involves a spirit that hasn’t crossed over, for whatever reason, and interacts with people.”

Both Roffe and Brown stated that they did not experience any negative energies while at the theater. They hope to obtain more evidence of spiritual activity on their return visit this summer. Roffe added that she has done investigations all over the Southeast at buildings such as theaters, bed and breakfasts, funeral homes, graveyards and homes in her time as an investigator and stated that Southside Theater Guild is an extremely active location.

Chances are audience members will rarely, if ever, experience supernatural activity while taking in a show at the theater. However, if you see something out of the corner of your eye or hear something when nobody else is around, it probably isn’t just another theater trick.

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