In this delightful Eerie Extra, co-hosts Katherine Troyer and Toni Tresca talk with actor, educator, and theatre administrator Heather Kelley. We had the opportunity to speak with Heather about her current (and super cool) research on the narratives of ghosts--and ghostly encounters--at three real-world theatres here in the United States: the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas; Le Petit Theatre in New Orleans, Louisiana; and the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center in Waterford, Connecticut. Heather talks to us about the ways that ghosts give or deny voices to certain identities, how ghosts serve as manifestations of trauma, and how theatrical ghosts acknowledge the ephemeral nature of theatre. 

HEATHER KELLEY (she/her) is an award-winning actor, educator, and theatre administrator. She holds a BFA in Acting from the University of the Arts and an MFA in Acting from Florida State University/Asolo Conservatory; at the time of this episode's publication, she is a PhD candidate in the Theatre & Performance program at the University of Colorado Boulder. Heather's current research focuses on dark tourism, ghosts as manifestations of trauma, haunted attractions, mediumship as performance, and depictions of the supernatural on stage and on screen. If you are a theatre patron and/or practitioner that has experienced unexplained and/or paranormal phenomena in a theatre or theatre-related structure, Heather invites you to contribute to her research by submitting your story here (you are very welcome to do so anonymously).

This interview occurred on January 13, 2023; the episode first aired on February 14, 2023.

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