Forum Theatre

Dating to 1926 and originally called the Strand Theatre, this historic venue was acquired by the city in the 1970s and now houses the Foundation of Arts.

The Forum Theatre stands at 115 East Monroe Avenue in Jonesboro, the seat of Craighead County in northeastern Arkansas. The building opened on January 1, 1927, as the Strand Theatre, a 1,262-seat movie palace built for Universal Pictures. The opening night feature was Laura La Plante in Butterflies in the Rain, paired with George J. Lewis in The Collegians. For more than forty years, the Strand was the largest theatre in the Jonesboro area, hosting films, stage productions, and community events through the golden age of American cinema. The city of Jonesboro acquired the theatre in the late 1970s and renamed it the Forum Theatre. Today the building operates as a performing arts venue under The Foundation of Arts, presenting live theater, concerts, and educational programming.

Like many theatres of its era, the Forum has a resident ghost. His name is Charlie, and he has been a fixture of the building's folklore for decades, described by those who have encountered his work as more mischievous than malevolent — a prankster spirit who seems to enjoy disrupting rehearsals and performances without ever doing anything that could be classified as threatening.

Charlie's most documented incident involved a cast preparing for a production. When the company arrived at the theatre one morning, they discovered that all of the theatrical posters had been altered overnight — a character's name had been painted over on every single poster. The cast initially dismissed it as a prank by a fellow company member, but when the incidents repeated and no one could be identified as the culprit, one cast member became so unsettled that they resigned from the production entirely.

Activity in the sound booth and spotlight area has been reported by multiple technicians over the years. Objects slide off desks without explanation, and the spotlight has been observed swinging slightly on its own, as though someone had given it a gentle push — despite no one being near it and no vibration or draft to account for the motion. Backstage, in the narrow corridor leading to the dressing rooms, a crew member reported feeling fabric brush against them on the stairs, the unmistakable sensation of someone passing in close quarters. When they turned to look, the stairway was empty.

The dressing rooms themselves carry the heaviest atmosphere in the building. Multiple theatre workers have reported an overwhelming sensation of being watched while preparing for performances, a presence that stands in the corners or just behind the mirrors. Whether Charlie is a former performer, a projectionist, a construction worker who died during the building's original construction, or something else entirely, his identity has never been established. He is simply Charlie — the ghost of the Forum — and he has been here as long as anyone can remember.

The Foundation of Arts continues to produce a full season of performances in the Forum Theatre, and Charlie remains an unofficial member of every cast.