I was in a community college production of Measure for Measure. During one rehearsal, some of us were backstage conversing about theater superstition and the Sc

I was in a community college production of Measure for Measure. During one rehearsal, some of us were backstage conversing about theater superstition and the Scottish play in particular, taking care to use the proper euphemisms. One older cast member, who didn't have much theater experience, kept saying, "the Scottish play... what do you mean???" We tried to explain to him within the limits of the taboo, and finally he said, "Oh, you mean Macbeth!" That night, in the middle of the night when the theater was all locked up, the main stage's brand new expensive backdrop, which had just been installed, ripped in two from top to bottom. No one ever figured out how it happened.