Update January 2009:

For our continuing work at the former DuMaurier theater now the Enwave Theatre please visit our sister site's article. 

The following was submitted by Ian Harper...

Du Maurier Theatre

I have worked for the Harbourfront centre for about ten years now, as a technician. There are many theatre venues there, the Premier dance theatre, the duMauier theatre centre, and the York Quay centre.

Originally these three buildings which are all side-by-side were terminal buildings. Ships would bring cargo in and store it in these buildings which had railway lines running to them. The duMauier theatre was originally an ice house where in the winter, ice was cut from the Harbour and placed in the ice house where perishables were stored before transport.

Every two years, at the Harbourfront centre, we host "World Stage". This is when we bring in shows and theatre companies from all over the world. It usually runs for three weeks. Three "World Stages" ago, I was working in the duMauier theatre centre. We were in the middle of setting up one of the shows. There was about two dozen people in the room, actors and technicians. The room was dark except for the lights hitting the stage.

I was running up the stairs in the theatre to the lighting and sound control room booth when I suddenly looked up I noticed I was about to collide with someone standing on the stairs instead I ran right through him.

Later that week I had my second experience. For this show the sound console had to be placed at the back of the theatre as opposed to it's normal location in the booth, right beside an exit door. At one point in the show an actor would come through the door and give me a large sweater and sweat pants that would be used by an actress later in the show.

Early in the show, out of a corner of my eye, I noticed a man standing beside me. Thinking it was the actor I turned to him to ask why he was there so early. The man did not acknowledge my presence. He just completely dissipated before my eyes. This happened during a sold out show.

My next experience happened very recently. We were setting up for a corporate rental. I was walking from the storage area to this stage when I noticed a small child crouched behind the stage door. I turned to ask the child what he was doing there and he too dissipated before my eyes.

I have not seen the third entity, a woman, yet. There are certain security guards who won't go in the building at night and will only check the outside doors.

ADDITION:
I've found out more about the du Maurier theatre. It turns out that a security guard went in the theatre at about 4:00am and found a woman sitting in the middle of the theatre. he went over to her to ask what she was doing there. She then said to him, "What time does the show start?". The woman then disappeared before his eyes. The security guard quit the next day.

Do you have anything to add to Ian's report? Have you experienced anything at the theatres or anywhere around Harbourfront? Please contact us: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• Next