Superstition

Theatre is so full of tradition mainly because during the 1800's the theatre's were "crewed" by sailors who were on leave or had left the service. This is why so many of the words in a modern theatre are nautical terms: Crew Rig/Rigging Fly/Flies Cat walk To name a few. The whistling comes from this tradition as well. We say "break a leg" because it is bad luck to say "good luck". God only knows where chooka's came from, I have my doubts about the above Elizabethan explanation. I will say that as far as I'm aware its exclusive to Australia. I am whole heartedly behind keeping theatrical traditions. I don't say the name of "The Scottish Play" while i'm in production or in a theatre. Not because I am terrified of the Theatre Gods throwing a curse down upon me but because I respect those who have come before me and their traditions. There is something immensley childish about saying the name of "Macbeth" in a theatre. If you're talking about the play and you forget or you don't know about the tradition then that's fair but why would I deliberately go our of my way to upset people who believe in that tradition, especially considering that if they do they are likely to subconciously sabotage their own performance? It's unsupportive and childish. I also, being the spiritual man that I am, do not believe in tempting the Gods. I believe in keeping tradition alive because it's what connects us with those who have come before us. If we kill our traditions then we kill all those who have ever come before us and we are spiritually, physically and mentally a culmination of all our ancestors. You might not like the tradition but I suggest if it has been around so long that it has become tradition then even if you must break it, break it with the respect it deserves. Not some petulant desire to show how unafraid you are. All it does do is let us know how afraid you really are. Oh and Tim if I were you I'd start believing in Faeries lest your possesions start going walkabout. It's a dangerous thing to say you don't believe in something you know nothing about ;)