Ghost Lights

There is a tradition, in the theatre, of never leaving a space entirely dark. -
For the most part, it is done for practical reasons: there are many dangers in a light-less theatre, from falling into the orchestra pit, to taking your shins out on the set. It is helpful to be able to navigate the space safely, but also to be able to find the controls for the house lights. -
Of course, theatres are places where stories are told, both on stage and off it, and small wonder then, that most of them have at least one ghost, and some say the space must stay lit to appease these spectral residents and not incur their wrath. -
But the ghost light, at heart, is also a promise: that we will return. That the lights will come back on, the music will swell, the costumes will ruffle and the rafters will rattle once more with life. -
And so, after a fashion, is this volume. -
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The Superstars are an international group of writers, hailing from many backgrounds and walks of life. Some of us are published or self-published; some of us write professionally, some of us have never written before; some of us are poets dabbling with prose, others are prose-writers temporarily stricken with poetry; some of us are more at home writing comic books, others write novels when they aren’t being Superstars, a few of us delve into non-fiction on a semi-regular basis. Many of our contributors are key workers or healthcare professionals. Many of us are finding ways to volunteer our time and energy to do what we can for the people around us. Our stories, musings and poems range as widely as we do, across love and loss, friendship and adventure, murder and magic, fantasy and family. -
With work from: Fiona Angwin, Rae Bailey, Naveen N. Bhat, Helen L. Bourne, G. Burton, Alison Clare, Jessica Grace Coleman, Mark Connors, Raven Dane, Izzy de Bono, Fiona Evans, Mike Farren, Liz Hearson, Kim Hosking, Catherine Looser, Slithey Malice, Minerva Delphi Mannion (& family), Wayne Naylor, Lauren K. Nixon, Lizzie Nolan, Heather E. Page, K. Palomar, Hannah Russ, Iain Shaw, Jo Shoebridge, Laura Sinclair, Ariadne Thayne, Heather Thompson, E. L. Tovey, Yvonne Ugarte, Dean Wyrre and Little Red Wolf.