Here's one of many interpretations about "Break A Leg"- generally offered as a statement of good will to a performer, rather than using the words "good luck" which superstitions suggest will boomerang.
In the old Hemp houses-the theaters where curtains and fly sets were pulled up or lowered with hemp ropes, the pieces of iron-the weights with a horseshoe on either end that goes around the rope were called "legs." The curtain was customarily dropped after the curtain call. A second curtain call required the curtain to be raised again and lowered. A third curtain call the same. If the curtain is lowered and raised in repetition, the "legs" have a tendency to break. Therefore, Break a Leg was a wish for many curtain calls. This perspective predates the Ford Theatre-John Wilkes Booth anecdote where he broke his leg jumping down to the stage. The Ford Theatre anecdote seems to me to not be a true wish for a wonderful performance as the connotation rightly contains in the Hemp House anecdote. Another idea is, with the superstitious theme, that in place of saying good luck, you make a statement the opposite of your intention which will invert itself. Again, it doesn't offer the logic of the Hemp House perspective.
RE: The Ghost light
Various ideas abound, here's one. The ever so many characters living and imaginary that inhabit a theatre are often felt in the atmosphere of the building. Due to the commonly precarious condition of sets, frequently, peculiar sounds and falling objects are attributed to the "ghosts" of actors and characters who have traversed the boards in times past. In older days, there were no "Exit" lights to cast some aspect of light onto the stage. Any person entering the space would have to travel in the dark until they reached the place where they could turn on some lights exposing themselves to the danger of ghosts and relocated/fallen/falling objects. This was a dangerous thing as no-one can ever be sure what condition the space is in, with changing sets, and sets that sometimes "change" accidentally. Thus, a "ghost" light was left center stage to help keep the ghosts from harming anyone who might enter the space....It also gives the ghosts some light to play in for their ghostly audiences....These days our legally required EXIT signs have displaced the oh so romantic notion/need for a ghost light to protect us. And, alas, we are no longer legally able to have a full 100% blackout where our ghosts can hideout. PS, if you are lucky enough to have ghosts, make friends with them-they love the theatre and after all, better friends than....!
Why "Standing in the Wings" is a no-no: Actors require high levels of concentration to achieve peak performances. The Wings, the area on the sides of the stage where entrances are often made, can easily be viewed by actors on stage. Anyone standing in the wings, often in some kind of motion, can accidentally be caught in the actor's eyeline and hence distract them. That momentary distraction can cause the onstage actor to mess up a few moments later. The mess up happens a few moments later because the actor's concentration is generally a few moments ahead of her visible/audible performance. If you do need to stand in the wings, be as still as possible and don't ever try to be cute by purposely distracting your partners in performance. Everyone in the entire ensemble of a production must have the good will of the show and its gift to the audience as their most important task.
I am not sure if the following is relevant and yet you have inspired me to include it as it solves a long-fought mystery encountered in the rehearsal process. Understanding this mystery can relieve frustration, embarrassment, low self-esteem and critical judgements on self and others, leading to a happier experience for all.
"I SWARE I KNEW THIS AT HOME! WHY CAN'T I REMEMBER MY LINES HERE?"
OFF BOOK is a request to have the actors memorized and not needing the script in their hand.
ON BOOK is when a script is held in hand. When actors are requested to be OFF BOOK, the first several rehearsals following are best accomplished with someone off stage like an assistant director or stage manager who is ON BOOK. Then the actor can "CALL LINE" and the person on book can FEED them the LINE.
An interesting thing for actors, directors, stage managers and technicians to know is that when we memorize, the space we are in is attached to the memory. And each time we need to recall a line in a new place, we need to adjust our spatial awareness, which uses up some memory. So it is "bio-logical," that we forget some of what we knew at home. Expect to remember less than you thought when you change spaces. Our short term memory drops each time we cross a threshold into a new space requiring new sensorial assessment. A simple example is when you are in the kitchen and want something from the bedroom. By the time you get to the bedroom, you may have forgotten what you came for because units of your short term memory got used to adjust to the light, texture, dimensions of each different space you crossed into-the hall, the living room, another hall, then finally the bedroom. You may have to return to the kitchen where you will then remember.
Antidote: When you arrive at your rehearsal where you are expected to be off book your first few times, come early and walk through the space with book in hand while reviewing your lines as "off the page" as possible. Be appreciative of yourself and respectful of the the process when you do need to call line-don't abuse yourself with defensiveness about being failure. That unprofessional behavior just wastes your energy on what is past and disrespects everyone's time. Simply restart with full acting engagement and focus on the present. It's a process.
Also, this spatial adjustment as relates to memory loss can happen again when new sets, costumes and all of the technical elements arrive and merge. So, when these new sensorial elements arrive, take a little extra time to review your lines in relation to them.
Directors might do well to inform their casts and crew of these tendencies and their antidotes, while factoring the ramifications into their schedules.
Hope this is useful as I am sure such a book will prove to be.
Lisa Loving Dalton
SAG-AFTRA, DFW Board
818 761 5404 cel
LisaLDalton skype