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it contained 1,700 seats, but today it seats 1,281. I can’t imagine where they included the extra seating. The row spacing felt very tight, not unlike that of a modern-day airplane. But, it was hardly an inconvenience when you consider the comfort of the chairs themselves and the beautiful distractions of the surroundings.
Niches accentuate the audito-rium’s sidewalls, containing mock tile roofs and grills, as well as lat-tice work aches over the ceiling to further enhance the impression of a courtyard. Stairs leading up to the mezzanine (the lowest balcony in the theatre) showcase the original plaster moldings and arched doorways.
I might walk the same paths and touch the same rails.”
Over the years, many per-formers have graced the Or-pheum stage, from nearly every popular Vaudeville acts of the earlier 19th Century, such as Ed-die Cantor and Fannie Brice, to famous burlesque dancer Gypsy Rose Lee. In an interesting side note, Gypsy’s son, Erik Lee Prem-inger, later returned to the theatre with My G-String Mother.
According to the theatre Website, “During its vaudeville period, more than 17,000 acts appeared with the playbill chang-ing three times each week.” In more recent years, comic Bernie Mac performed shortly before his death in 2008. With so many famous acts, would we hear from a performer who decided to make the Orpheum their afterlife home? Or perhaps a customer
who fell in love with the place and decided never to leave? Or maybe a staff member who spent hours work-ing the theatre ticket booth and still comes in for their shift?
For the night, I joined WPRS Founder Shane Elliot; Case Manager, Investigator, and PR Manager Sherrie Curry; Photographer and Investiga-tor Ted Thomason; newly promoted Tech Manager and Investigator Bob Gilmer; and Investigators Lu Ann Ju-lian, A. Marie Carroll, Shaun Reeves, and Donna Chaffin.
If you remember read-ing my recent article on my last investigation with WPRS,
Bob had brought me the childhood snack Bugles. This time he treated me to the oh-so-medicinal-tasting 5-Hour Energy Drink. Though hardly a future craving, the stuff does work and I was awake for the 3 a.m.
A skilled acoustical engineer, Eberson constructed the audito-rium to project sound naturally, without any of the modern sound enhancements used today. The sound quality carries so well, you can hear people talking in a low voice behind the stage curtains while up in the top balcony. At times, we even heard people under the stage investigating the dressing rooms while in the very top seats. This proved to be a challenge when it came to collect-ing evidence.
Over time, the theatre has undergone some restoration, though some of the original ar-chitecture has been changed over time. For example, the decorative floor in the lobby was covered by terrazzo and then later replaced by new tiles. Even so, much has been done to restore the building to its 1920 grandeur.
Currently, the Orpheum is con-trolled by a nonprofit corporation, Orpheum Performing Arts Centre, Ltd., dedicated to “the preservation, restoration, and ongoing utilization of this important part of our cultural and architectural heritage.”
A Night at the TheatreThe investigation took place the
night of October 2, 2010, where the Orpheum Theatre sits in the heart of Wichita, Kansas’ downtown area. The unique architecture instantly draws the eye of passersby, and it would be hard to miss this beauti-ful old building. I started the evening as photographers often do, taking pictures of everything. In this venture, I was joined by Wichita area photographer and investigator Ted Thomason. I could have spent the entire night concentrating on the fine architectural details.
Our hosts for the night were Orpheum staff members Film Tech Director Chris Wren and Volunteer Coordinator Marti Secondine.
“I am really excited about the group coming. I always wanted to investigate the place,” said Chris. “Volunteers and staff have noticed unexplained things happening.”
“I know the group has been here before on an investigation, and I’m interested to see all the gadgetry and technology they use,” added Marti. “I
have been in every nook and cranny of the building. If a presence is here, we’re cool. As a lifelong resident of Wichita, these (potential ghosts) are my people. My ancestors came here for shows, and it’s intriguing to think
With that one whispered sentence, I caught the ghost hunter’s addiction.
Personal Experiences: Ghost Hunter Case Files
I am one lucky woman. In May 2010, I was invited on my first paranormal investigation to Old
Cowtown Museum (Paranormal Underground, August 2010 issue) by the Wichita Paranormal Research So-ciety (WPRS), based out of Wichita, Kansas. We must have hit it off be-cause when the opportunity to inves-tigate the historic Orpheum Theatre came up, they invited me back.
Of course I had to jump on the opportunity. Who could resist spending the night in a turn of the 20th Century theatre, exploring the hidden recesses not open to the public? And the fact that I was going there for my second paranormal investigation made it all the sweeter.
History of the TheatreLocated in downtown Wichita,
the theatre opened on Labor Day, September 4, 1922, and featured almost every major Vaudeville act of the time. It was the first atmospheric-style theatre in the United States, which created a certain “landscape atmosphere” for the visitors.
According to the official Or-pheum Theatre Website, “The archi-tect for the Orpheum, John Eberson, was the creator of the atmospheric school,” and the theatre is an “authen-tic atmospheric with all the accoutre-ments associated with the style.”
Designed as a Spanish court, it had a “fully developed decorative theme and the sky and star projections properly associated with the atmo-spheric theatre.” The theatre’s original fire curtain hangs in the flyout over the stage. Hand painted on asbestos, the curtain was designed for the Orpheum by John Eberson, supplied by Fabric Studio of Chicago, and is very valu-able. While I was there, I did ask the staff about it. Apparently, being of such monetary worth and historical value, they do not lower the curtain completely for fear of damaging it.
The main feature of the audi-torium is the proscenium arch, ap-proximately 42 feet tall. Originally,
A Night At The Theatre: Investigating the Orpheum
By Michelle Pillow, www.michellepillow.com
Michelle Pillow investigates the Orpheum with Wichita Para-
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Personal Experiences: Ghost Hunter Case Files
wrap up. Thank you Bob! One of my mistakes at that first investigation was not bringing enough caffeine.
The Dressing Rooms & Orchestra Pit
The investigation was broken up into four main parts. For the first segment, I joined Sherrie under the stage where the two dressing rooms are located. In the largest dress-ing room, female voices have been heard, as well as knocks.
Behind a mirror, there is a door leading to large tunnels beneath the city streets. Though it was locked, I’m told the underground walkways are mostly used for storage by the surrounding businesses. I would have loved to explore the tunnels, but they couldn’t find the key.
The second dressing room had a report of an actor’s coffee cup be-ing thrown across the room while he was nowhere near it. We performed
the teams into smaller group with volunteers standing outside through-out the course of the investigation to cut down on human interferences.
Lobby and Ladies’ Room
My second investigation con-sisted of the front lobby, stairwells, and ladies’ restroom. I was joined by fellow photographer, Ted, and the majority of the time was punctu-ated by the flash of camera strobes. The lobby, though stunning, has no known reports.
It was suggested as a spot worthy of investigation by the staff because it is the threshold to the theatre where guests come and go. Outside, the busy city streets are blocked by rows of glass doors that encase the front lobby. The original ticket booth dominates the area, outdone only by the large tile floor. The sound of out-side traffic, ceaseless and rumbling, reverberated in the area and made
EVP, K-II, and EMF readings but didn’t have any personal experiences in the dressing rooms.
While there, Sherrie told me of the two reports of death on the property. The first was a homeless man who broke into the theatre and subsequently died. The second was a report of a suicide by jumping, though this story hasn’t been confirmed.
Within the orchestra pit in front of the stage, accessible from the basement area, there have been reports of people being touched, as well as EVPs of a male voice. One such previous EVP was when an investigator asked if the spirit they were communicating with was Ber-nie Mac, to which an EVP recording answered in a low, rumbling voice.
The orchestra pit is where we ran into our first acoustical challenge for the night. We could hear investi-gators talking on the upper balcony. To counteract this effect, Shane split
Third Time’s the CharmFor my third assignment, I
joined Sherrie and Lu in the bal-cony and projection booth. Sherrie reported that on a previous investiga-tion, she had been touched in the back of the leg. At the same time, an EVP was recorded saying, “Peace.” Another investigator also took a picture of mist while in this area.
Chris, being the Film Tech Director, is in charge of the projec-tion booth and laughingly refers to that area of the theatre as his office. He said that feet have been spotted walking past the projection room door. There have also been reports of chairs bouncing down and flipping up like someone sat on them. EVP recordings, footsteps, and loud bangs round out the personal experiences.
Hearing noises coming from the projection booth, we went up to check. We didn’t find anything, but the old projectors intermixed with new digital machines. Movie reels lined the walls and a metal ladder gave access to the hidden ceiling catwalks. Noises continued to come from the booth throughout the night — strange bangs
reports of a full-body apparition walking down the long aisle between the stalls. Doors are said to open and shut, and even lock on their own. It should be noted that the Orpheum is full of reflective surfaces — windows and mirrors that deliver flashes of traffic lights into the inner-most reaches of the building, except for maybe parts of the balcony.
The immense size of the rest-room is no exception. One of the res-toration updates is the automatic fac-ets and soap dispensers. During the course of our investigation, they went off without anyone being near them. At first glance, this could look like the work of a spirit. Unfortunately, the answer is much more mundane. The sensors these units use to detect a cus-tomer react to camera strobe.
If the flash itself, or the reflection of a flash, is aimed just right, the sinks will go off without seeming to have any provocation. You could shoot in the opposite direction and, still, the sinks will turn on. At other times, if the angle of the flash isn’t right, the sinks remain off. This could lead to a mistaken paranormal claim.
for a noisy backdrop to EVP work — even worse than the auditorium.
Venturing from the lobby to investigate the stairwell, we slowly worked our way upward from the main level to the stairwell entrance to the top balconies. Here, the si-lence made for a more investigative-friendly atmosphere. There were a few noises that led my attention up the stairwell and then back down.
Though a lot of work has been done by way of restoration, the paint is chipped along several of the walls and in some places plaster has fallen to reveal the brick underneath. A couple of the noises resembled the falling of paint chips, while others could have been the settling of an old building.
To draw a more conclusive impression, I would have to spend more time in the location, exploring the various sounds. For several min-utes, while we were chasing noises up and down, one section of the stairwell felt a lot “creepier” than the others, but the sensation faded and so did our potential noisemaker.
The ladies’ restroom contains
Pictured above: At left is the Orchestra Pit, where an EVP had been caught answering a question about comedian and actor Bernie Mac. At center: The Orpheum is full of reflective surfaces — windows and mirrors deliver flashes of traffic lights into
the inner-most reaches of the building. At Right: The Orpheum was the first atmospheric-style theatre in the United States, a style that created a “landscape atmosphere” for the visitors.
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crowds even in the afterlife. I have to say I was surprisingly
pleased with my Orpheum adventure, and I will always remember it as the place of my first EVP. It is with that thought that I hope the Orpheum Per-forming Arts Centre, Ltd. continues to raise the funding necessary to further restore this gem of a theatre and an important part of Wichita’s history — not only for the living, but for those spirits who still come to see a show.
Thank you WPRS and the staff of the Orpheum for a great evening!
* * * * *
If you are interested in helping to preserve the theatre, learning more, or just checking out one of its many shows, you can visit the Orpheum Website at www.wichitaorpheum.com.
To see or hear some of the evidence, visit WPRS at www.wichi-taparanormal.com. To read more about Michelle Pillow’s adventures or to invite her to join your team on an investigation, visit her site at www.michellepillow.com.
throughout the night for his first-ever investigation. He reported that when in the balcony with a couple of the investigators, they detected a shadow and little lights “kind of streak by just below the proscenium arch.”
He also added that the Thurs-day night following the investigation, “while I was running a movie up in the projection booth, I swear I saw a shadow walk behind me, between me and one of the projectors.”
The OrpheumI don’t believe that all old build-
ings are haunted simply because they’re old, and I approached the evening like a photographer about to shoot an amazing site and hang with interesting people. I didn’t expect much to happen, as this wasn’t known as a place of death but of life.
I’m happy to have been proven wrong. Maybe it’s the life the place continues to celebrate that draws people in death. It is the happy mo-ment, the excitement of a show, and the thrill of the stage that draws the
waited impatiently for the results. As I stated before, I approach
things as a skeptic, but there was a piece of evidence that backs up the personal experience of being ‘groped’ and smelling smoke. About 10 min-utes after the incident while we were still in the balcony, Sherrie caught an EVP as we were laughing about it, which says, “You shall ___ ___ it.” It’s a soft whisper amid our talking.
This is the first EVP I’ve heard when I was present. I’m sure you seasoned pros out there can remem-ber hearing the first EVP to respond while you were present . . . the thrill, excitement, and tiny tinge of not-so-much fear, but a sense of creepiness, that comes from hearing something you didn’t know was there. I feel all those things, but most prominently, I feel the anxious need to get out there and find it again — to find more. With that one whispered sentence, I have caught the ghost hunters’ addiction.
I took a lot of pictures that night, and one stands out as worthy of fur-ther discussion. For this reason, I am including the undoctored photo for your perusal — see the second page of this article. You should be able to see the impression of mist in the fore-ground. It was taken in front of the Or-chestra Pit door, in the basement near the dressing room where several EVPs and flying objects have been reported. What do you think? Is it paranormal? Or a trick of the camera?
Also caught by Sherrie is the sound of footsteps in the balcony, which we heard while doing an EVP session. In the projection room, Don-na had caught a male voice that re-sponded to her stating that it was dark: “It is dark . . . dark for me.” She and Lu were the only ones investigating at the time. No males were present.
I also made a point of check-ing in with Orpheum Film Tech Director Chris Wren after the investigation. He joined the team
Personal Experiences: Ghost Hunter Case Filesand clanks. Some were disregarded; others remain unexplained.
We slowly moved across the balcony, drawn to the side where the mist had been photographed. At one point, Sherrie needed to stop to change the batteries in her camera. She and Lu were on my left. On my right, up several rows, I heard what sounded like the ticking of a pocket watch. A little while later, I heard the ticking several rows below me on the same walkway. Being the naturally skeptical believer that I am, I tend to look for all possible explanations first.
We were working with digital cameras, and the ticking could have been caused by Sherrie’s camera pro-cessing shots. However, following the noise, the sweet smell of vanilla cigars led me down to the side seating of the mezzanine. Two chairs are isolated from the others next to a small round table, a place clearly set apart from the rest of the theatre by its place of visual importance and extra leg room.
Thinking I might have picked up the smell from the chair, I leaned over to smell the back. The cigar
appeared and could not be picked back up. Though we searched the area, the EMF did not go off again.
Apparently, the spirits hanging out in the balcony are a fun-loving lot. It’s a good thing the WPRS crew, and the ghosts, have a great sense of humor because I tend to be a goof.
While investigating the spot where Sherrie was touched, I had a strange sensation on my hand. When I held my hand out over the area she felt the hair tug — palm facing up — a freezing cold sensation concentrated on the very center of my palm but not the rest of my hand. I’m not sure what it meant, but it happened repeat-edly when I reached my hand over were Sherrie’s hair had been pulled. It was always the center, even when I moved it back and forth and only when I had my palm facing up.
Sherrie noticed it as well. I re-port this because I believe every little detail helps to create the whole story, and only by sharing information open and honestly will we be able to advance the paranormal field. Who knows, someone else out there may have an explanation for it.
One Last Go-RoundFor the fourth and final hour, I
was sent back to the balcony with the same team to continue our investiga-tion. I was glad to get more time in the location. We sat quietly in the dark for some time and re-searched the hot spots.
Though there were a few noises and knocks, it was nothing like the pre-vious hour. The investigation wrapped up at 3 a.m. and teardown began.
Analyzing the EvidenceI didn’t have evidence to go
over beyond my digital film, but the group as a whole had hours upon hours of DVDs, infrared film, digital film, and voice recorders to go through. Like the first investigation, I
smoke was a lot stronger, and at first I dismissed it as the normally sweet smell of the chair. But while explaining why I came down to that section of the theatre to Sherrie, I leaned over again to the back of the chair and the sweet cigar smoke was gone and replaced by the scent of older fabric. Had I just smelled my first ghost? Perhaps a gentleman reeking of cigars smoked during an intermission?
As we made our way to sit in the center of the activity, Sherrie had the impression of being watched. We made our way up to the very top of the balcony, directly above where I smelled the smoke. We asked the usual array of questions and invited whoever was listening to touch us or communicate by making noise so we knew they were there.
Jokingly, I offered to let the spirit kiss my cheek or, if they’d rather, they could grope Sherrie. Seconds after making the latter offer, Sherrie felt three tugs on the back of her hair. She turned with the EMF in her hand and got an instant hit. Almost immediately the reading dis-
Pictured above: The lobby, though stunning, has no known reports of paranormal activity. It was suggested as a spot worthy of investigation by the
Pictured above: The only piece of photographic evidence I caught. The original photo is on the left. In the photo on the right, the original picture’s light levels have
