History & local legend
John “Pop” Reed was a longtime stagehand at Philadelphia's Walnut Street Theatre. He wanted to remain part of its performances after death and reportedly left instructions that his skull be used as Yorick's in Shakespeare's Hamlet—the skull the prince holds while reflecting on a dead court jester.
The theater's historical gallery recounts the discovery of Reed's skull during the building's 1920 renovation. Workers found it carefully packed away among relics from the theater's early years. It bore the signatures of actors, which the theater connects with Reed's wish for a theatrical afterlife.
Later theater historians have questioned exactly when and where the skull was used onstage.
Sources
- Walnut Street Theatre, Historic Photo Gallery, 1920 renovation and Pop Reed
- Geraldine Duclow, Now Presenting America’s Oldest Playhouse: The Walnut Street Theatre, Pennsylvania Heritage, Winter 1998
- Adventures in Theater History: Philadelphia, Life & Death in the Theater: More 19th Century Stories, episode 33, transcript
- Official theater and current performances
