SevenVenues March 2019 SevenVenues Newsletter - Spring | Page 7

7 SEVEN BEHIND THE SCENES SPACES (CON’T.)
TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK
Art in unexpected places is sort of the best kind. Michelle designed the mural at the loading dock, and staff helped to fully
realize the vision in this awesome, oversized paint by number.
SECOND BALCONY
In the not-so-distant segregated south,
a second balcony at Wells Theatre was
designated for “colored only.” Today,
the area is costume stock, storage, and
work space for Wells staff. And, they
say, a playground for one young guest.
When things go missing from the
second balcony, tools or trousers or
odds-and-ends, stagehands have taken
to leaving out a small toy for trade.
Inevitably, say staffers, the toy will
disappear, their missing item soon to
be discovered in its right place.
The ghost story goes that on a long-
ago rainy day, a little boy of about
three or four-years-old, stopped in to
see a show from the second balcony.
Because of the bad weather, the boy
had worn galoshes and, slippery with
rain water, he slid and fell down the
steep steps and right over the rail, into
the seats below.
Since then, some have reported a
small child’s laughter emanating
from the second balcony, or the little
pitter patter of squeaky wet shoes
above the light booth. Sometimes,
the boy ventures down to the lobby
bathrooms, and even so far as the
sports bar across the alley. A server
reported seeing him once. When she
scolded the boy, he laughed, turned,
ran straight through the east brick wall
toward the Wells—and disappeared.
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