PHANTOMS OF THE HAUNTED FORTUNE THEATRE DUNEDIN

Dunedin’s Fortune Theatre ©Jack The Clicker

Oh the Fortune. I’m probably responsible for some of the hype here and for many reasons, this is my least favourite haunt in Dunedin. It’s a story that has been done to death. Excuse the terrible pun. My association with the theatre goes back to 1999 when I first started out in the ghost business. This was also the same year I opened my first hair salon in Dunedin. Not long after opening my salon, I was approached by the theatre to do hair for productions. I made many good friends here and naturally when I started the ghost tour, I asked them if they had any ghost experiences. Some of them believed they had shared the stage with a ghostly figure or two. They were also were willing to concede that it may have been from overdoing it the night before. Parties involving actors, crew and myself at this time were frequent, and the live ‘act’ of the severed ponytail will forever haunt a certain actress, I’m sure.

Back to the ghost stories. One of the crew had mentioned to me that there had been a concern regarding a “pesky spirit.” The entity seemed to annoy actors while they were performing on stage. He went on to tell me it was taken very seriously at the time and in 1980 an exorcism had been arranged. Holy shit! Really? What exactly went on during the exorcism is something only those who were there could say. When I heard this story, I believed the ghosts were angry parishioners who used to attend the church, especially as the stage was now where the congregation used to sit. I imagined thin-lipped, grey-haired, tweed-wearing grannies, no doubt mortified that their place of worship was now the home of thespians who spent their spare time getting up to no good with local hairdressers. Which, of course, was true.

Dunedin’s Fortune Theatre ©Jack The Clicker

I quite liked my interpretation of the angry ghosts, and I used this when we stopped here while on tour. All was about to change with this story and location. In 2005 I was approached by a production company who were filming a ghost hunt show that would feature specific locations in Dunedin. The crew attended a Hair Raiser Tour and then asked me if I considered any of the places to be more haunted than the other. I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to mention the theatre and its ghostly inhabitants. The manager of the theatre at the time had indicated that they were struggling financially. They were also looking for new ways to attract interest. Naturally, by mentioning the theatre to the film crew, I considered I was doing them a favour. The film crew agreed that the building and the story of the angry spirits would make excellent TV viewing and proceeded to run a ghostly investigation. The stairwell that supposedly runs several levels under the Fortune is, in fact, over the road at the Carnegie Centre. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve been asked about the stairwell under the theatre, I would not be worried about my monthly power bill.

After the show aired, the theatre and Hair Raiser Tours were inundated with calls from curious folk wanting to venture into the dark corners of the Fortune Theatre building.

There is no doubt that this show was good for my business. The amusing thing for me was that everyone who attended a tour believed they were going to see some spirit action. In my experience, if you go looking for a ghost, you will not find one.

For a couple of years, I ran a tour that finished at the Fortune. Guests had the opportunity to sit in the ‘ghost seats’ and wait for the apparitions to appear. I12 was the most requested seat as it was thought that this was where most people had experienced supernatural contact.

Dunedin’s Fortune Theatre ©Jack The Clicker

Recently a box office employee mentioned to me that they still get inquiries regarding the ghosts of the theatre. “Some people request that ‘ghost seat’, others make sure they are nowhere near it,” she explained. As I have mentioned many times, if your business is struggling, get a ghost.

A recent whisper on the street is that the theatre is closing ... maybe the ghostly patrons will get their church back after all.

RIP Fortune Theatre.

Dunedin is a Ghost Town-{1999-2024}