Happy Friday the 13th

Actors tend to be a superstitious lot. On this Friday the 13th, here are some theatre superstitions:

• No whistling onstage or backstage. It probably stemmed from the time when sailors were used as crew members and they had a whistle signal system. Anyone whistling for his own entertainment may inadvertently cue a crew member to change the scenery.
• Theatre managers do not admit a "comp" or someone with a free ticket until a paying customer has entered the building.
• Don't speak the last line of a play until opening night. The show is not considered finished until it is performed for an audience. They get away with it by inviting friends and family members to the dress rehearsals.
• It is thought to be bad luck to mention the name "Macbeth" inside a theatre. They refer to it as "the Scottish play". People thought that the Weird Sisters' incantations were real. The play also has many swordfights and battle scenes that could lead to accidents onstage. Another possible origin is that failing theatres would select this play to draw audiences.
• Saying "Break a leg" instead of good luck to a performer may refer to the actor doing well that he or she will need to take many bows. "Leg" also refers to the curtain, so the phrase could mean that a successful show will have so many curtain calls that it will break the machinery that brings the leg up and down.
• Many theatres are supposedly haunted. Theatres keep the stage illuminated with ghost lights to ward off spirits but the more practical reason is to prevent accidents in the dark. Another superstition is to close the theatre once a week to allow the ghosts to have the stage to themselves. Of course, the actors get a day off, usually Monday.
• Mirrors were considered bad luck on stage. Probably not so much as bad luck but more to maintain lighting design and not have light reflected into the audience. The famous mirror scene from "A Chorus Line" surely trumps this superstition.
• Black cats are traditionally considered bad luck, but not in theatre.
• Real flowers are considered bad luck on stage. Again the real reason is probably because they will wilt under the lights and it would be too expensive to change them. It is also bad luck to give flowers to an actor before the play opens.
• It is considered good luck to pinch an actor before their first entrance. It is also good luck for a performer to trip on his or her entrance on the first night.
• If you haven't had enough, here are some more.