The Truth Behind 10 Common Superstitions

Actors are a superstitious lot and they have a great many superstitions and rituals that are supposed to ensure a good show (none of which include stopping sipping black coffee and smoking rollies long enough to actually rehearse).

One of the most famous of these superstitions surrounds Shakespeare's "Scottish Play" - or "Macbeth" for normal folk. The idea that the play is cursed has many origins, but mainly seems to stem from the legend that the first actor ever to play Macbeth died shortly after the end of the production. Seeing as we're talking about Elizabethan England here, where actors were considered some of the rowdiest, debauched citizens, the death of an actor isn't actually all that unlikely - that's if the story is even true.

There are plenty of other actorly superstitions, including the one that says a theatre should be closed at least once a week in order to let the resident ghosts perform their own plays. This, rather conveniently, was usually a Monday in order to give the actors a break after a gruelling weekend of performances.

These, along with the many others including whistling, the colour green, saying "break a leg" and peacock feathers make up a disproportionate quantity of superstitions for just one profession. 

It's probably more to do with actors being over-dramatic. Which is, of course, their job.