The Ghost with the Least

WItH 165 yEARS oF HIStoRy at Otterbein University, spooky stories are bound to embed themselves in the school’s culture.

In addition to eerie cemeteries and aging homes, certain campus buildings are actually said to be haunted.

Cowan Hall and the Fritsche Theatre located therein are rumored to be haunted by a ghost named Twyla.

Though the story has slight variations depending on who’s telling it, Twyla is generally known as a former Otterbein student whose acting skills were lacking. Unable to land any role she tried out for, one day she made the most dramatic statement of all.

Twyla is said to have climbed the light fixtures in tears after she learned she was not cast in a particular show. She fell 30 feet to her death, landing in the middle of the stage, according to legend.

Shortly thereafter, tales began to circulate of students, staffers and visi - tors witnessing Twyla’s presence in the theater – and the stories continue to this day.

In light of the well-known story, Otterbein University archivist Stephen Grinch delved into research and discovered some interesting facts surrounding the case. There is no record of any student named Twyla ever attending Otterbein – and even if there had been, the time frame of the story wouldn’t make sense.

“Twyla is said to have been a student in the 1930s, which is amusing because that is approximately 20 years before the theater program was established,” Grinch says.

Facts aside, the popularity of Twyla’s tale was notable enough to be written about in the Chris Woodyard book Haunted Ohio III.

According to the book excerpt, theater students claim that after dark, doors will slam shut by themselves. It’s also said that students will slip on the spot where Twyla supposedly landed. There are even stories of students claiming to hear Twyla’s cries on stage.

The theater’s faculty scenic designer, Rob Johnson, says in the book that once, before a play began, dozens of programmed lighting cues were mysteriously erased and he had to frantically reprogram them. Whether it was a technical mishap or an uncanny occurrence, Johnson says folks in the theater department blame Twyla when anything strange or eerie happens in Cowan Hall.

Whether or not you believe in ghosts and spirits, Grinch says there is an explanation for why people continue to tell stories like the one about Twyla.

“The world is filled of unexpected things and there’s no logical explanation for why,” he says. “Humans like to figure things out, so these kinds of stories get started and live on.”

Olivia Ohlin is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscene mediagroup.com.

By Rose Davidson