Grand Opera House
Opened in 1905 with the largest stage in the Southeast, the Grand Opera House on Mulberry Street still anchors downtown Macon as a 1,030-seat performing arts hall. In September 1971, managing director Randall Widner, a classical pianist overseeing renovations, was found dead in the "Thunder Room" high above the stage, where lead balls once rolled across wood floors to mimic storms; his death was first ruled suicide, then accidental overdose, and the gaps still trouble staff.
Crew members say Widner never left, blaming him for levitating light racks, phantom piano notes, washes sweeping the empty stage, and taps on the shoulder. A second presence, the Lady in White, drifts through the balcony boxes singing soprano late at night.
Row 11, where Widner ate his lunch, is still left for him.
📍 651 Mulberry Street, Macon, GA 31201, Macon, GA · Get directions