Theatre celebrating 'ghost sightings' at upcoming gala

CALUMET — Stories that the Calumet Theatre is haunted go back more the 50 years.

The most famous of the resident haunts is Polish actress Madame Helena Modjeska who died in April 1909, only a few years after the theater opened. The famous Shakespearean actress performed here three times in the theater’s first decade.

The Calumet Theatre is hosting a fundraiser gala this Saturday, which will celebrate the long association of Madame Modjeska and the reported sightings of her ghost.

Executive Director of the theatre Laura Miller said, “We developed our haunted reputation in 1958 when actress Addyse Lane lost a line talking about “Taming of the Shrew”, and she saw the spirit of Madame Modjeska come to her from the first balcony and mouth the words to her. Since 1958, there have been several different people that have claimed to see the spirit of Madame Modjeska.”

Said to be one of the most haunted locations in the Copper Country, Madame Modjeska may not be alone in the halls of the Calumet Theater.

Miller said, “We always hear different things from our technical directors. Myself, I’ve experienced a few things. Janitorial people, that have been in and out, you have a lot of unexplained music that comes from different locations that’s unexplainable, you’ve got a lot of cold breezes that just hover around you from time to time, a lot of door handles that are locked and people are trying to get in and nobody on the other side.”

The evening will include a dinner and a silent auction along with a presentation featuring the first person who claimed to see Modjeska’s ghost. There will also be ballroom dancers in period dress.

Will Madame Modjeska make an appearance? Those attending will be the first to find out.