ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Fitzgerald Theater is the oldest operating theater in St. Paul, but does it get haunted?
“There’s something magical about having a little time box that captures the history of arts and entertainment here in the city,” says Ashley Ryan of the Fitzgerald Theater.
For nearly 115 years, the Fitzgerald in downtown St. Paul has been a destination, with opening and closing acts of all kinds.
“We get opera, we get ballet, we get rock ‘n’ roll, we get folk music,” said Dan Zimmermann, an engineer at the theater.
Names of actors and singers can be found on the famous Fitzgerald stones. Of course, the Prairie Home Companion show has had quite a run as well.
“Paul Simon was one of the first guests he had. That was just amazing. Paul was great to work with,” Zimmermann said.
The artists make the headlines, but it’s the people behind the scenes who write history. This includes a longtime theater employee known simply as “Ben.”
“He was a stagehand. He had his red toolbox that he carried with him all the time,” Zimmermann said.
Ben retired half a century ago and later died, but some believe he never left. Zimmermann said this became a little more apparent during a 1985 renovation, when an architect discovered a hidden door in the first balcony.
“He said, ‘Guys, there’s a second balcony here.’ At the time, they had installed a suspended ceiling for the cinema from the front of the second balcony to the top of the proscenium,” said Zimmermann.
“In there they found some mysterious — not remains — but mysterious little remnants of the past,” Ryan said.
There was an old note addressed to Ben, which the workers took with them. No one knows what it said, but some believe the discovery stirred Ben’s spirit. Employees have reported seeing his ghost on that second balcony when the theater is closed. Audience members also described receiving help from a nice man upstairs.
“Whoever you put me with there was very helpful. We didn’t put you with anyone there. That’s kind of the raised eyebrows and the feelings of – oh, I talked to someone,” Ryan said.
“Some performers ask about it when they come. Some audience members do too. It’s definitely out there,” Zimmermann said.
This also applies to reports about Vaudeville Veronica, an artist from the early days of theater. Some employees have said they heard her singing when the Fitzgerald was supposed to be closed. It’s possible proof that even when the theater goes dark, the show goes on.
“There’s always another layer behind the stories too, because this is a place where stories are told. That helps push this forward, but of course I think it should be haunted in a theater,” Ryan said. “Why not?”
Past theater workers have also described having their tools mysteriously moved while they were working on a project. They believe Ben’s ghost is responsible.
