Part 546: The Majestic Theatre in Grand Rapids, Michigan
In 1906, Thomas G. Moses and his family traveled to Colorado for a month-long sketching trip. After the trip, Moses wrote, “On my return I did a lot of work for Grand Rapids, Michigan, Majestic. I closed the contract for the society stunt.”
In 1906, Grand Rapids, Michigan, had a population of 110,000 people. The Majestic Theatre had been opened since November 23, 1903. The venue was listed in Julius Cahn’s Official Theatrical Guide (1907-1908) and managed Orin Stair. Orin and E. D. Stair were the proprietors for this first-floor theater. Illuminated by electricity (110 volt, Edison system), the seating capacity was 1,754. The width of the proscenium measured 42 feet wide by 31 feet high. The depth of the stage from the footlights to the back wall was 40’-6”, with the distance from the curtain line to the footlights measuring 6 feet. The distance between the side walls was 72 feet, and the height from the stage to the rigging loft was 65 feet. A fly gallery was positioned at 26 feet above the stage and the depth under the stage was 9 feet. The stage had 4 traps and an adjacent scene room.
By 1915 the theater became a movie house; it was operated by the Butterfield Theaters chain from 1929 until July 1974. Fortunately for the Majestic, live theater returned in 1979 when the Civic Theatre Company took over the space. Www.cinematreasures.org reports, “It is one of the oldest community theaters in the country. With more than 6,000 season ticket holders, it is the largest community theater in the state of Michigan and the second largest in the United States. During a single season the theater reaches almost 100,000 people. Each season there are a mix of main stage productions, two productions for children, and various other special events around the community. The theater is currently under the leadership of twelve professional staffers and more than thirty guest artists, and numerous local volunteers.”
The Majestic Theatre is just one of the thousands that Moses created painted settings for during his sixty-year career. Multiply his productivity by the thousands of scenic artists that came both before and after him. Only a very small percentage of an historical scenic art remains hanging in historic theaters. Often the only remaining drop from an original collection is the fire curtain. This is what makes Masonic scenery collections so important. Scottish Rite theaters are like time capsules, housing numerous examples of scenic art. Sadly, these collections are often in jeopardy as membership perceives them as solely “old and worn out backings,” and not “large-scale artworks created by nationally recognized artists.”
If you know of a historic theater, please do not hesitate to plan a visit with your camera and document whatever you can – especially before it is renovated. You may be the last person to document the backstage area, stage machinery and scenery for that venue. Share your images with the local community and your colleagues. It is only an awareness and understanding of this cultural treasure that may help its future preservation for subsequent generations. That is my main reason for posting two things every day: an installment about the life and times of Thomas G. Moses and a painted setting from a historic theater. It is all disappearing so quickly.
To be continued…
