Partially Solved: Martha the Ghost and the Missing Posters (An OLT Mystery)
By: Albert Lightstone
Almost 3 years to the day, some of the alumni photos that had gone missing in May 2020 have been recovered. They were of two of our most famous alumni, Dan Aykroyd and (cornerstone inductee) Rich Little.
Dan Aykroyd was born in Ottawa and has a world renowned career in film and television including roles on Saturday Night Live, Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters. He honed his musical skills in our city and appeared in a 1969 production at OLT. A special evening in his honour, with him in attendance, was held a few years back at the theatre.
Rich Little is a Canadian-American comedian, impressionist and voice actor. Sometimes known as the “Man of a Thousand Voices”, Little has recorded nine comedy albums, and made numerous television appearances, including three HBO specials. He was born in Ottawa and attended Lisgar Collegiate Institute. He started his amateur acting career at the Ottawa Little Theatre, winning his first acting award at the Eastern Ontario Drama Festival. He appeared in 20 OLT productions.
As reported in a previous blog ( shown below), pictures of Dan Aykroyd, Rich Little and our other famous alumni; Luba Goy, Jessica Holmes and Adam Beach had gone missing along with make up and wigs. A report had been filed with the police but nothing came of it.
Fast forward to today, a disheveled good Samaritan came into the theatre and approached Ian Fraser at the box office stating that he had something that he would like to donate to the theatre. Another individual was trying to sell some of the pictures at the Mission. It is not known how much the good Samaritan paid for the pictures but he obtained them and wanted to donate them back to the theatre. Ian had offered to pay him for the photos. The offer was refused. The man just wanted to show that “Not all homeless are bad”. An important message which we wanted to share with our members.
We welcome back the photos which are once again on display in our lower lobby.
In the blog below, originally published in May 2020, you can read what had transpired along with some background information on our resident ghost Martha, who was considered at the time, a possible suspect.
Martha the Ghost and the Missing Posters: An OLT Mystery
By: Albert Lightstone
May 2020
Zoinks Scooby ! We have a real mystery on our hands.
Well it’s good to be back… sort of. Still self-isolated and working from home, but it feels wonderful to be inspired to write a blog for our beloved Ottawa Little Theatre. It’s merely resting, hibernating for a few months to be soon awakened with renewed energy and a slate of entertaining plays.
We are still waiting for the opening night’s performance of Burn. The cast is ready, the set is on stage, lighting and sound locked-in, and we even had a benefit performance. The only thing needed is the “all clear” for the audience. Burn is an engaging thriller written by Ottawa’s and OLT’s own John Muggleton.
We actually have our own mystery thriller underway right now which is why I am writing to you now. Let’s approach it as an audience participation whodunit.
In the lower levels of OLT, we have been hard at work putting up wall displays comprised of posters and photos from our archives detailing the history of our theatre. Once the OLT is reopened, you are welcome to peruse these memories adjacent to the Green Room. They detail our past awards, construction, and famous alumni.
Well, some of the alumni photos have gone missing. We are wondering if perhaps someone had borrowed them for a certain project and will be returning them shortly. The pictures are of our more famous past members: Rich Little, Luba Goy, Jessica Holmes and Adam Beach.
There are some theories that may explain their disappearance. The first is that in addition to the photos gone missing, the makeup cabinets and wig closets in both the men and women’s dressing were found wide open. We would, according to this train of thought, be looking for an individual who has made themselves up to look like one of these actors and is currently roaming around the empty streets of the By Ward Market.
Another theory is that it is the work of our resident ghost Martha currently displeased with not hearing the sounds of audience laughter and applause for so many months.
For those of you unfamiliar with Martha, legend has it that many years ago during one of the major renovations, an old tombstone was found with the name Martha engraved on it. The theatre occupies some space on a former cemetery. Martha, who at times can be mischievous, has been known to play tricks on the OLT, all good-natured of course. Normally the last one leaving the theatre at night has to wish Martha good night prior to exiting. Perhaps she is just a little bit lonely.
Regardless of the theory, if you know the whereabouts of the missing celeb photos, can you please inform one of the Board members or Tom so we can get them back? It would be greatly appreciated.
Please stay safe and enjoy the spring (whenever it comes) . We hope to see everyone very soon.
-Albert