POSTCARD MEMORIES: South Simcoe Theatre spookiest place in Innisfil

Innisfil has it’s share of places where bumps in the night are heard, where spirits are said to emerge from the shadows to startle the living. Some would argue that the most haunted is the South Simcoe Theatre in Cookstown, where numerous eerie accounts have emerged over the years. 
 
The South Simcoe Theatre was formed in 1966, a non-profit community-based theatre dedicated to staging professional-quality productions. From the very beginning, the all-volunteer cast and crew have been motivated by a love of theatre and the joys that it brings.
 
Originally, the theatre staged shows out of Banting Memorial High School in Alliston, but in 1983 the theatre moved to the former Cookstown Town Hall, which the Township of Innisfil agreed to rent out for a very modest amount to support the arts. 
 
Here, spirits of the past compete with flesh-and-blood performers for centre stage. 
 
Actors and stagehands have had their spines shivered after seeing orbs flittered through darkened areas. Strange sounds, ranging from disembodied voices to phantom footsteps thudding up and down the stairs, have frequently been heard. During a paranormal investigation, a tape recorder picked up the distinct sound of a piano being played, yet there was no piano in the building. 
 
Once, during a performance, an actress forgot her line. Masking a rising well of panic, she stumbled for her words for a second or two. Then, the missing line was whispered in her ear, and she was able to carry one without anyone being the wiser. Moments after the recovery, the actress glanced over her shoulder to see who had saved her. There was no one there. 
 
Some people were startled by the sudden appearance of a spectral woman gliding across the stage.
 
Any attempt to determine who this ethereal woman or any of the resident ghosts might have been in life is made difficult by the lengthy history of the building. It was a town hall, of course, for many years. At other times, the building has been used as a Temperance Hall, a Presbyterian Church, and a meeting hall for the Lodge of Good Templars. 
 
The building is rich in history. Sometimes this history emerges into the present in the form of a restless spirit. 
 
Or so the stories go….