A THEATRE employee photographing rennovation work captured a ghostly apparition peering down from the upper circle.
Front of house assistant Alex Tosh only spotted the spooky image later when he was studying his pictures of Perth Theatre in detail.
One spine-tingling snap seems to show a grey, faceless figure peering down from a balcony of the 116-year-old building.
Beneath, unsuspecting workman dressed in high-visibilty vests go about their business oblivious to the strange figure high above.
The theatre is said to be haunted by the “grey lady” – the ghost of a former barmaid who is now said to reside in the “gods”.
Almost £17m is being spent restoring the theatre, which has been closed for the past four years and boasts Ewan McGregor and Donald Sutherland among the great actors to have performed there.
Alex visited on September 29 with colleagues to examine and document the work, which should see the theatre reopen on December 9 this year.
Alex said: “We have always known of tales of ghosts but I personally have never encountered one, until looking back at the picture the following day.
“The theatre has been closed for nearly four years now while the restoration and extension work was undertaken so as you would imagine the ghosts are getting restless with all the work around them.”
He added: “Who knows, maybe the grey lady will make an appearance for them as well!”
Posting the image online Alex wrote: “While looking through my photos from the tour of @HorsecrossPerth refurb, I spotted we had a little visitor looking down from the gods!”
Retweeting the supernatural snap, Taggart star Colin McCredie said: “The famous “grey lady” of Perth Theatre, I believe!
“I did the follow spot on my own on four or five shows around then. It was always terrifying. A strange aura for sure.”
Whilst others also commened on the spooky snap.
Fiona Waite wrote: “I worked there in the late 1980’s and didn’t like going up to the gods on my own!”
Aura Milne? said: “Oor wee grey lady in Perth Theatre”
Jak Coventry? commented: “Or is it just a light…?”
According to the theatre’s Facebook page, over the years there have been sightings of a lady in period costume hovering near one of the circle boxes and said to be spirit of a former barmaid.
There have also been reports of strange smells of cigar smoke, said to be blown by the ghosts of two old men who once frequented the stalls.
During a much more recent production of Macbeth at the theatre, actors complained that someone was using the old lift during performances.
The performers claimed they could hear the hoist stopping on the third floor and the footsteps of someone getting out.
However, following an investigation, the electrics connecting the old-fashioned, caged-door lift appeared to have been disconnected, and no-one had used the third floor for years.
The foundation stone of the theatre in Perth’s city centre was laid in 1899 by George Alexander, famous for his work with Oscar Wilde, and it was officially opened in 1901.
