Northern Ghost Research & Investigation Team - UK

Press Release 2480
For Immediate Release
7 September 2006

Is the Civic Theatre Rotherham’s most haunted?

From giant phantom dogs in Aston to the ghosts of Roche Abbey, Rotherham has its fair share of spooks and spectres and now, thanks to a team of Paranormal Investigators, one of the boroughs oldest and most loved building is about to get the ‘Most Haunted’ treatment!

Rotherham Civic Theatre, which was built 139 years ago, has been home to thousands of performances over the years, including some from suspected supernatural sources, and has warranted its own investigation after decades of mysterious sounds and strange occurrences!

The Northern Ghost Research and Investigation Team UK (NGRIT-UK for short) will be bringing their specialised equipment to the theatre on Saturday 16 September in a one-off, closed-door, midnight performance which hopes to finally put an end the question ‘is anybody there?’!

A selected number of Theatre staff will be on hand to witness the proceedings, including Box Office Assistant Angela Gardner, who has had a few chilling moments of her own at the Civic whilst locking up after a late night performance.

Angela said of the theatre: "Over the years people have reported seeing a ghostly figure on the stage which vanishes into thin air and a lady all dressed in white was seen floating down the stairs in the auditorium by an ex member of staff!

"I find myself drawn to an area near the stage where there is an eerie ‘cold spot’ that can’t be explained and when I’m leaving the building after the night shift I often get the hair-raising feeling that someone is watching me but when I look there is never anybody there! It sends shivers down my spine!"

Despite the Civic Theatres warm, welcoming atmosphere, the place that gave both Sean Bean and Brian Blessed their big breaks started life very differently. Originally built in 1867 and opened as the Doncaster Gate Congregational Church, the theatre welcomed its first patrons in 1960 after years of protracted planning which many thought of as cursed.

Due to the fact that there have never been any actual deaths in the theatre, it is thought the disturbances are caused by either a restless spirit from its days as a church or that of a local actor, who loved the stage so much they couldn’t bare to abandon it, even in the after-life!

The majority of mysterious occurrences have happened on a Sunday, leaving the decision to hold the investigation on that day a nerve-wracking one for the few fearless theatre staff joining the 6 strong NGRIT-UK group, which will include the teams very own Medium, Joe Summerhill.

NGRIT was formed in 1996 by Patrick James Firth and his wife Keren as a purely scientific based investigation unit. They utilise specific calibrated electronic equipment to help detect readings and results that establish the possibility of any paranormal activity at the site under their investigation.

It is hoped that by the end of the night NGRIT-UK will finally have gotten to the bottom of what has been causing staff to jump and actors to wish they’d stuck to Macbeth!