63 Can you?, Understand This Text

Theatrical superstitions

Along with sports players, theatre

are considered some of the most superstitious

people around. These are some of their more

common beliefs and practices.

NOT WISHING “GOOD LUCK”

Generally, it is considered bad luck to wish someone 'good luck' in a theatre. Before a performance, it is traditional for the cast to get together and prevent bad luck by wishing each other bad luck. English actors used to say to each other 'I hope you break a leg’, and even today actors and musicians often say 'break a leg’ to each other instead of 'good luck’ before they go on stage.

WHISTLING

It is considered bad luck for an actor to whistle on or off stage. Original stage crews were often hired from ships which were in port, and whose sailors were temporarily unemployed. These sailors, as they did on ships, often used special whistles to communicate scene changes to each other. If an actor whistled, this could confuse the sailors into changing the set or scenery at the wrong time.

NOT WITHOUT AN AUDIENCE

It is considered bad luck to complete a performance of a play when there is no audience. For this reason actors never say the last line of a play during rehearsals, or some production companies allow a limited number of people (usually friends, family, and reviewers) to attend the dress rehearsals.