California State University – Sacramento, CA

The University Theatre at California State University, Sacramento, in Shasta Hall, is said to be haunted by the ghost of a man who died accidentally while the theater was being built in the 1950s. The earliest account found, a 2003 student newspaper article, calls him Ralph and says he was a building inspector who fell to his death from the roof. Later retellings change the details (see below). Reportedly, his presence has been felt near the elevator that runs between the scene shop and the costume shop, on the catwalks, and in the light booth. The elevator is behind the main stage in the scene shop.

Find out more about the CSUS Theater here.

Theater ghosts

Theaters are some of the most haunted buildings on any campus, at least in the stories. They are dark, full of hidden spaces and often empty late at night, and many theater people leave a “ghost light” burning on the stage when everyone goes home.

What the record says

The legend has no named victim and no date, and no source found for this guide documents a death during construction. What can be traced is a chain of student newspaper articles in The State Hornet, and the versions do not agree.

• The building. The Department of Theatre & Dance is based in Shasta Hall, and the 2016 Hornet article below uses that name for the building. The University Theatre was built in 1955, according to a 2007 Hornet article, and opened in January 1956, according to a 2003 one. Sources vary by a few months.
• 2003: “Ralph.” Rafael Chavez’s October 29, 2003 article is the earliest account found. It says Ralph was a building inspector who died during construction of the main theater in the 1954-55 school year, falling from the roof to the basement while the stage was unfinished. Its source is Larry Shumate, the first stage technician when the building opened, who later chaired the department. The signs it reports are the scene shop elevator making trips on its own and a cold draft in the basement. It adds that the ghost has never been known to cause harm. Nothing earlier turned up, but the Hornet’s archive from before 2000 was not searched.
• 2007: a skeptic’s view. Adina Zerwig’s November 1, 2007 article says the inspector slipped on the catwalk and fell to the basement floor because there was no stage beneath him. Technical director Richard Stockton said the creaks and noises people blame on a ghost come from the theater expanding and contracting, and said of the ghost, “He’s never personally introduced himself to me.”
• 2016: “a young man.” The October 27, 2016 Hornet list of 13 haunted sites is where the version told above first appears in what was found: a young man who fell during construction and was impaled on a steel girder, felt near the elevator, on the catwalks and in the light booth. The article is a Halloween list and cites no source. The earlier articles describe an inspector and mention no impalement.
• A timeline problem. According to a 2006 Hornet article, the scene shop and the costume shop were added in 1969, well after the supposed death. A story dated to 1954-55 that places the ghost between those two shops has probably attached itself to the later addition.

FAQ

Where is the ghost felt most?

Near the elevator between the scene shop and the costume shop, on the catwalks and in the light booth.

Who is the ghost?

The legend says he died in a fall while the theater was being built. The earliest account found names him only as Ralph, a building inspector, and later versions call him a young man. No source found identifies a real person.

Can I visit?

Go see a show. It is the best way to spend an evening in the theater.

More haunted schools in California

Read about Santa Barbara City College and the Gorman School.

Sources

• The State Hornet: Beware of headless cyclist, and other campus ghosts, Rafael Chavez (October 29, 2003)
• The State Hornet: Acting Out, Bridget Jones (October 11, 2006)
• The State Hornet: Theater ghost lives on, Adina Zerwig (November 1, 2007)
• The State Hornet: Get your spooky on at these 13 haunted sites around town, Edrian Pamintuan (October 27, 2016)
• Sacramento State Department of Theatre & Dance

Top image: Hornet Stadium, Sacramento State. Photo: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons