The Woodstock Opera House

The Woodstock Opera House was built in 1889. It originally served as a hub for the city administration, police, and fire departments, in addition to hosting performances. Nowadays, it operates solely as a performance venue.

It is rumored that an actress named Elvira committed suicide on the premises. She either died by leaping out of the bell tower to her death after not getting a leading a role, or by hanging herself from the belfry to end the pain of a broken heart. Her ghost is believed to haunt seat number 113 in the balcony of the Opera House.

There have been a number of reports of paranormalactivity at the Opera House. People have seen seat 113 lower on its own, and some have observed the appearance of a ghostly blond woman in the seat. During rehearsals, sighs and moans emanating from the balcony have been known to indicate a bad performance. Props mysteriously fall down or just disappear from the stage.

The story of Elvira actually began as an urban legend crafted in the 1940’s by actor Shelley Berman (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Twilight Zone, & Carnegie Hall).He was at the Opera House working alone on a set one night, when he allegedly saw seat 113 raise up on its own. The legend gained momentum due to the performancethat was in progress at the time, “Blithe Spirit”. A comedy billed as an “improbable farce,” it featured Paul Newman and a ghostly co-star named “Elvira.” 

While Elvira’s suicide didn’t actually occur, the story lives on. And to this day, supernatural happenings are still being observed.