What's New
Everything that changed, newest first. Version numbers start at 1989. Yes, on purpose. Something missing? Use Send feedback in About.
Fixes to the front door and to watching online
Version 2011.09
- The front door lists shows again, and tells you when it can't load them.
- A night that already started can be switched to Watch online later, from the Tonight card, the review card or Change night.
- Asking for an invite gives the same answer to everyone, and so does the sign-in box.
Watching a recording online
Version 2011.08
- Some theaters post recordings of their shows. If a theater streams online, you can tick Watching online when you add a night; it gets a date six weeks out.
- On the day, Home asks if you watched it. Watching it counts as seeing the show, and you can rate it like any other.
- Any member can tell us a theater streams. An admin checks it first.
A front door, and requests for an invite
Version 2011.07
- Visiting Ghostlight signed out now shows a sign-in box first, then a few shows playing in your city.
- Anyone can ask for an invite. A person reads every request.
An honest Awards filter
Version 2011.06
- Critics & awards is now Awards. It keeps shows with an award nomination or honor, or whose writer or director won an award in the last five years. It only appears when something matches. Winners only narrows it.
Shows and theaters can be opened without signing in
Version 2011.05
- A link to a show or theater now opens a simple page for anyone: what it is, the dates, and where to get tickets. Ratings, plans, friends and names stay for members.
Share a show, and links that remember where you were going
Version 2011.04
- Show pages and theater pages have a Share button. On a phone it opens the share sheet; elsewhere it copies the link.
- If you open a link while signed out, signing in now takes you to that page instead of Home.
Last night's show gets a review card
Version 2011.03
- If you saw a show last night and have one tonight, Home shows tonight's show first and a slim review card under it. Tap a star to rate.
- Other unrated shows are one tap away under “more to rate”. Older ones sit in quiet rows below.
- The bell now asks “How was it?” from 6:00 AM the morning after, and keeps asking for a week until you rate or review the show.
Edit profile is on Me
Version 2011.02
- Me has an Edit profile link under your name. The Settings row says what is inside, and the first Settings section is called Your profile.
Cards on Now playing, and a shorter Filters sheet
Version 2011.01
- Each show on Now playing is a card with a border, and the arrow on the right is easier to see.
- One Next 4 days chip replaces Tonight and This weekend. The other options are still in Filters, under When.
- Filters shows Whose shows as buttons, then When, Theaters and Sort by. Everything else is under More filters.
- Filters · 2 tells you how many filters are on, and Reset clears them. Your kinds, whose shows, theaters and More filters choices are remembered on your phone.
- On a show page, More by has one row for the writer and one for the director.
- Settings has an Accessibility section. Turn it on and Now playing only lists shows with an accessible performance (any kind, or only the ones you tick). Home reminds you while it is on.
A new look, and a bar at the bottom
Version 2011
- On a phone there is now a bar at the bottom: Now playing, Search, Add, Friends and Me. Best of and Awards are in the Menu.
- Titles are in a serif now, and amber is saved for the one main button and your own Going.
- Me is a short page with a row for Diary, Want list, Following, Friends and Settings. Settings and Invite moved: Settings has its own page, and Invite is on Friends.
- Going, Seen and Change night open in one sheet. The sheet shows friends' nights with a Same night button.
- Each show says Want to see, Going or Seen, the same way everywhere.
Light usage counts for Home filters
Version 2010.10
- Admin → Usage now counts which Now Playing filters get used (names only, like “comedy” or “my theaters”). It never records what anyone looked at or wrote.
Auditions, fresher
Version 2010.09
- The audition listings are checked weekly instead of monthly, since calls only stay open a few weeks, and the check now opens each call's own page for dates, roles and pay. Equity calls from BroadwayWorld are included for Seattle.
Festivals, round two
Version 2010.08
- On a festival, a viewing has an optional “What did you see?” line, like “Saturday’s seven plays”, since each night can be different.
- Festivals with only dates no longer count as “needs details” when the lookup finds nothing.
- Added The Distillery New Works Festival at Seattle Public Theater, June 10–13, 2027.
Auditions find themselves
Version 2010.07
- Once a month, Ghostlight reads the Theatre Puget Sound and Vancouver Public Library audition listings for new calls, in cities with a claimed artist profile. An admin approves new calls before anyone sees them. Artists who follow a theater hear about its new calls in the bell.
Award honorees get artist pages
Version 2010.06
- Gregory honorees and nominees now link to an artist page with a short bio and where it came from. Claimed profiles replace the bio with the artist's own words.
Festivals
Version 2010.04
- Festivals get a “Festival” badge on cards and show pages. A festival keeps its type, so a comedy festival still shows up under Comedy.
- Home's filter sheet has an “Only festivals” option. Anyone can mark a show as a festival when editing its details, and the scanner flags them when a theater's page calls something a festival.
Award results watch
Version 2010.03
- Around each ceremony, Ghostlight watches the program's page and tells admins when results appear or when the page can't be checked.
Pick your part of the Seattle region
Version 2010.02
- Me has a “Where I go” setting: Seattle, Eastside, Bainbridge, North Sound, South Sound, Olympic Peninsula and islands, and Bellingham. Now Playing hides theaters outside them, except shows you've added.
- New Seattle-area members pick their areas at sign-up. The default is Seattle, Eastside and Bainbridge.
- About 30 more Washington theaters were added, so more Gregory honorees link to their theater page. ACT and Seattle Shakespeare now point to Union Arts Center, which they merged into.
Easier to browse, and My season waits for renewals
Version 2010.01
- Awards opens on your city and the newest year. Pick the award and a kind of category (direction, performance, design and so on) from the menus.
- My season now only appears in the menu from February to June, when theaters ask for renewals, and a card on Me points to it. It counts only shows you've actually seen, with the rest shown as coming up.
- Best of the season's year menu no longer lists odd or future years.
- The subscription question has big Yes and No buttons.
- The Me menu item no longer lights up on My season.
My season
Version 2010
- A new My season page: every theater you went to this season, what you thought, how everyone else rated the rest of their season, critic picks and recognition. Good for renewals and single-ticket choices.
- It asks once if three or more shows at one theater look like a subscription.
- Next season: shows at theaters you know, and artists you know who appear in them.
- Worth a look: standouts you missed, and recently recognized theaters you haven't tried.
- Admins get a bell note when a new member joins.
Next 7 days
Version 2009.04
- Filters has a When setting: any time, the next 7 days, or this weekend. It replaces the This weekend button.
Calmer home filters, people-first awards
Version 2009.03
- Home: Theater, Comedy and Classical are one bar. Everything, My list and Friends' plans moved into a “Showing” menu. This weekend and Critics & awards are on/off toggles.
- Best of the season now lists the theaters and people honored last season in your city, including a local theater that won an award elsewhere. Honored shows stay on the Awards page.
Awards, tidier
Version 2009.02
- On Best of the season, awards are now a compact section like the others, not a big box.
Awards, explained
Version 2009.01
- Each awards page opens with a line on when the awards were announced or presented.
- Honorees link to their artist or theater profile when we have one.
- Best of the season has a “Honored last season” card for your city, with the latest honorees and what's coming up.
- When a big award in your region announces nominees or presents honorees, you get a note in the bell. So do you if a theater you pin or follow is in it.
Critics & awards
Version 2009
- Now Playing has a Critics & awards chip: shows with a critic's pick or an award nomination or honor. Filters can narrow it to honorees only.
- Awards is now one page for every program we track, with a city and program picker and each year's honorees first.
- Theater and artist pages show their awards, and shows carry the badge for each program.
- “This weekend” no longer shows shows with no dates yet.
Gregory honorees
Version 2008.01
- Gregory Awards pages now say “honoree,” which is the word Theatre Puget Sound uses, instead of “winner.”
Gregory Awards
Version 2008
- Shows that were nominated for or won a Gregory Award now wear a 🏆 badge, with the categories on the show page.
- A Gregory Awards page (linked from Best of) lists each year's nominees and winners by category.
A theater's usual kind of show
Version 2007.01
- Theater pages have a “Usually shows” setting (plays, dance, comedy, and so on). New shows we find for that theater default to it.
Filters that fit your phone
Version 2007
- Filters open as a full screen on phones, with Apply always at the bottom and a Close button at the top.
- The long theater list is tucked behind one row until you want it.
A back button for the installed app
Version 2006
- If you've added Ghostlight to your home screen, there's now a ← Back button in the top bar on every page except Home.
Fewer confusing taps
Version 2005
- On a show you're already going to, the button now reads “✓ You're going,” and opening it tells you which night.
- The city and filter menus on Now Playing close as soon as you pick one.
Season-long theater discounts
Version 2004
- A subscriber discount can now cover every show at a theater for the season. Tick “Applies to every show at this theater this season” when you share a deal.
- Friends see that you have one on every show at that theater, until the season ends.
Light or dark, your call
Version 2003
- Me has an Appearance setting: match your phone, always light, or always dark. It's remembered on that device.
Clearer when a plan flips to seen
Version 2002
- If a plan's date passes and it turns into “Marked as seen,” the row now says “Not that night? Change date,” and tapping Going offers to move it to a new night.
Friends' discounts
Version 2001
- If a friend has a subscriber discount, you'll see that they have one on the show page and the Deals page. The code stays private, so ask them to buy yours.
Subscriber-only deals
Version 2000
- Sharing a deal now has a “who can see it” choice: everyone, subscribers of that theater, or just you.
- Tap “I'm a subscriber here” on a theater's page to see its subscriber-only deals. It's on the honor system.
- “Just you” is a handy place to keep your own discount codes so you stop losing them.
Easier on the eyes and thumbs
Version 1999
- Buttons and chips are bigger to tap on a phone, and the header icons got more room.
- Secondary grey text is brighter in dark mode so it's readable.
- A visible focus ring for keyboard and switch users, and a Skip to content link.
- Animations calm down if your phone is set to reduce motion.
Fewer taps
Version 1998
- Want, Going and Seen are one tap on every show card and search result. Seen needs no date, and you can rate right after.
- A bar at the bottom of each show page keeps those three within thumb reach.
- A This weekend chip on Now Playing.
- Search finds theaters too, and if a show isn't there, Add it starts with your title filled in.
- On a theater's page, tick the shows you've seen in each season in one go. Past seasons now show as their own sections.
- If your phone loses signal you now get a friendly note instead of an error.
- An optional weekly roundup email (Thursdays), off until you turn it on in Me.
- Search is much smarter: it finds shows by what they're about, who's in them and nicknames like Rep or 5th Ave, forgives typos, shows results as you type, and understands things like comedy this weekend seattle.
Faster approvals
Version 1997
- Shows the scanner finds now arrive with a guess at their type (comedy, dance, opera and so on), so a comedy night is no longer a play.
- Admins can tick several found shows and add, skip or retype them in one go.
Picks and playwrights
Version 1996
- Shows on EverOut's Top Picks now get a Recommended badge automatically, checked weekly.
- Playwrights can ask to be credited on a show, the same way actors and directors can.
A tidier menu
Version 1995
- My Diary is now just Me, and it opens with Coming up: your planned nights, with the quick date edit and who's going with you. Following, Lists and Deals live there too.
- Plans and Calendar are gone. Friends' plans on Now Playing shows what everyone is going to.
- The + Add button now has chips for a show, a receipt, a deal, a friend and an invite.
- Deals show on Now Playing when one is live.
- Headshots now show on member profiles too.
Tools for theaters and artists
Version 1994
- Theater managers get a My theaters card in My Diary: edit your page, add a show, post an audition, see reviews.
- Paste your season announcement and add every show in one go.
- A page of all reviews for a theater, and an optional logo link.
- Verified artists get a My work page, an optional headshot link, and a way to ask to be credited on a show. The theater and an admin both get the request.
- Profiles show which theaters someone manages.
- Critic badges now show as a small chip on Now Playing cards, and many more shows have them.
- Where to look: a card on Best of with the review sites, picks and calendars for your city.
- Some show pages now carry a short quote from the theater itself, with a link to their page.
- We now count which pages and features get used (totals only, never what you write). The FAQ explains.
- The menu is grouped (Discover and You), and Send feedback lives in About and at the bottom of every page.
Following, properly
Version 1993
- An Auditions page for verified performers and theaters: open calls with a link to apply. Theater managers can post their own.
- A Following page: every theater, director, actor and writer you follow, and what they have on.
- A Following button on Home that shows only their shows.
- Following now asks whether to put their upcoming shows on your want list. Say no and you still get a heads-up in the bell.
- The monthly email now has a section for new shows from people and places you follow.
Friends, comments and a lot of tidying
Version 1992
- Plans and what you've seen are now friends-only. Ratings and reviews are still public. Add people on the Friends page.
- Same! and Disagree! buttons and comments under every review, plus a Discussion section on each show.
- Critic links on show pages: outlet, a short label and a link. Never the review itself.
- Claim a theater or artist page. Once an admin approves you, it says Verified.
- Paste a confirmation email when you tap I'm going. Date, time, seats and ticket count fill in.
- Going with someone? Add them to your night, or copy an invite for a friend who isn't here yet.
- Home got calmer: pick what you want (Theater, Comedy, Classical), a My theaters view, My list, Friends' plans, and a Filters button.
- A bell for deals, requests, comments and reminders. Clear them one at a time or all at once.
- FAQ, with steps for putting Ghostlight on your home screen (iPhone and Android).
More cities, more comedy, more about theaters
Version 1991
- DC comedy: DC Improv, the Comedy Loft, Washington Improv Theater, Underground Comedy and Room 808.
- Vancouver and Seattle theater pages now have about text, Instagram, addresses, and nearby places to eat, drink and get there.
- Arts Club (Vancouver) has its full 2026-27 season with cast and creatives.
- Artist pages list everything someone has directed, written, designed or acted in.
- Members can write a short bio. Sarah Rose is the first member with an artist page.
- Display names are now unique, with suggestions if yours is taken.
Seattle comedy, Just me, and who's going
Version 1990
- Seattle comedy and improv: clubs, improv companies and one-night headliners.
- Just me: keep a plan to yourself.
- A My people filter for the feed, plans and who's going (now called Friends).
- Rate it and Didn't go in your diary, and fewer accidental duplicates.
- Hand cursor back on buttons, because apparently that was a thing.
Launch week
Version 1989
- Invite links, a welcome screen, and sign-in with a 6-digit code.
- Add a show by hand, a whole season at once, or paste a ticket receipt.
- Ratings, reviews, private notes, a diary you can download, and a calendar link for your phone.
- Follow a theater or an artist and their shows land on your want list.
- Lists, deals, accessible performances, Best of the season, and a monthly email about what's hot.
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