Darlington Civic Theatre - Resident Investigators
In 2009 we have joined forces with the most haunted location in the North East of England, The Darlington Civic Theatre.
This year will see over 35 investigations taking place and you all have the chance to be involved.
Our first investigation is taking place on the 19th of June and tickets sold out in just two days. Below is a brief History of the Civic building and this should explain why interest in investigating this building is so high and shouold explain why NightFreakz is proud to be their resident investigation team.
The Civic building was officially opened on September 02 1907 and was opened as "The new Hippadrome and Palace of varieties".
For the Next twenty years one man managed the Theatre, a man called Signor Rino Pepi, a very highly respected italian born man who loved the theatre.
The theatre flourished during the 20 years Signor Pepi ran it but following his death in November 1927, its future became uncertain. Competition from cinema became a real threat and a succession of different managers struggled to balance the books.
The Borough Council of Darlington assumed full financial, administrative and artistic responsibility for the theatre on behalf of the town. The ‘New Hippodrome’ became officially known as Darlington Civic Theatre.
The Haunted Darlington Civic
Whilst we have mentioned Signor Pepi already and he is the most well known spirit presence in the theatre,he is by no means alone, the theatre boasts several other ghosts.
Jimmy the Flyman haunts the areas above the stage and is said to have hung himself from the fly floor, Jimmy is more sensed than seen but he can at times be heard ascending or descending the ladders from the Fly Floor to the Stage.
Gordon the old Stage Door keeper is sometimes encountered doing his rounds and locking up the theatre as he did all those years ago.
The stage has its own ghost in the form of a young lady who stands in the stage left wings and watches rehearsals of Ballet or similar performances no one knows who she is but it seems likely that she was a dancer in life and is still attending rehearsals.
Dressing room 12 is haunted by the spirit of a 12 year old girl called Arabella First identified by a Medium in 2004, it is believed that she is from a building that existed on the site before the theatre, she has been seen on two occasions and can be heard sobbing.
Finally the most unusual spirit is that of a little Pekinese dog, believed to be the dog that Rino Pepi brought here in 1907, the little dog has been seen running around the theatre and its remains were found entombed in a wall when the theatre was refurbished.