Summary:
The Lyric Theatre in downtown Tupelo maintains a year-round spooky reputation anchored by the legend of “Antoine,” a mischievous spirit with no historical record but a habit of hiding keys, singing snippets, and teasing staff. Manager Tom Booth, nearing 30 years at TCT at the time of the article, had heard the stories from the start and recounts personal encounters, including an unexplained, door-slamming bang and late-night laughter and singing in an otherwise empty building. Explanations for the spirit’s origin are often traced to either a caretaker from the theater’s early vaudeville days or a child who died amid the devastating 1936 F5 tornado, when the Lyric served as a temporary hospital and morgue with bodies stored beneath the stage. Booth generally chalked odd noises up to the quirks of a 110-year-old building and likened the presence to Casper, though he admitted a few incidents felt unsettling. He noted that many reported sensations occurred in the costume/prop rooms, while most of his own experiences happened in a newer wing. The theater’s century of performances and real-world tragedy has deepened its aura, reinforcing that not all of the Lyric’s dramatic moments occurred only on stage.
~The Columbus Dispatch – Some say an otherworldly spirit haunts a Mississippi Theatre