Princeton Theater Community Gathers in Show of Solidarity

McCarter Theatre, in cohesion with hundreds of performing arts spaces across the country, held a commemorative “ghost light” ceremony to reaffirm a commitment to diversity and inclusion on the night of Jan. 19. A ghost light is the light customarily left on when a theater goes dark, to provide safety and security to those who enter.

More than a hundred members of the Princeton theater community surrounded a single ghost light outside McCartre Theatre, and pointed tiny flashlights into the night sky to express their solidarity during this uncertain time.

The event was organized through the Ghostlight Project, which specifically timed the event on the eve before the inauguration, to encourage “continued vigilance and increased advocacy.”

Representatives from McCarter Theatre Center, the Princeton Triangle Club, the University’s Lewis Center for the Arts, and various other student theater groups publically pledged their commitment to “stand for and protect the values of inclusion, participation, and compassion for everyone regardless of race, class, religion, country of origin, immigration status, (dis)ability, gender identity, or sexual orientation.”

The Lewis Center of the Arts promised to schedule a town hall meeting in the upcoming semester and the Princeton Triangle Club has began efforts to encourage open dialogue and “continue to challenge and question what it means to be funny.”

Luke Soucy ’19 represented the Princeton Shakespeare Company. “I heard about the event a couple months ago and it was a beautiful ceremony,” Soucy said. “It was a wonderful way for people in the community to recognize each other as common allies and common supporters to see what change they can effect.”