Month: August 2019

After returning from the League of Historic Theatres’ national conference, I immediately was on the road again.  I ventured east to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, where I had the opportunity to visit a lovely theater in the midst of another renovation. Manitowoc has a population of 33,000 people and is located just south of Green Bay, Wisconsin on the shores of lake Michigan.  

Originally constructed as Ascher’s Capitol Theatre, the venue opened on June 16, 1921. It was a combination house, featuring both vaudeville and film. Brothers Arthur and John George were responsible for the endeavor, the two well known as owners of a local wholesale grocery store.

On July 17, 1921, the “Herald News” reported, “You will gasp with astonishment at what has been erected for your entertainment.” The article continued, “You will hardly recognize that you are in Manitowoc. It will remind you of big-city stuff. The lighting the effects, the music, the program, all will combine to force the conviction that George Bros. have spared no expense or effort to give Manitowoc and vicinity the most wonderful amusement palace in the entire northwest.”

The theater is now known as the Capitol Civic Theatre, or Capitol Civic Center.  I toured the impressive building on August 2, 2019, with the executive director as my guide.

The auditorium is currently undergoing a 3.5 million dollar restoration that includes the complete replacement of all theater seating, slightly reducing the overall capacity to include larger seats. The space is lovely, has a beautiful flow and ample room for patrons during pre-show and intermission times. Renovation on this historic space began in earnest during 1987 after the Capitol Civic Center, Inc. was established in Manitowoc to focus on the old theater. Ron Kaminski spearheaded the endeavor with support from local individuals and groups, such as of members of the Masquers. The renovated space opened on October 30, 1987, complete with a new Clancy rigging system.

In addition to the original theater, there are many other spaces that take up a substantial footprint on the downtown block. The Capitol Civic Center, Inc. complex currently includes total seven individual buildings. The website reports, “The West Auditorium (renovated in 2013 with campaign support from The Manitowoc Company), is enhanced by the Capitol Grand Lobby (the Mertens Family Lobby/Kadow Movie Museum and the Salutz Family Lobby just off the Box Office). The annex houses the administrative offices, the technical department, the green room, and loading dock facilities. Capitol Studios, expansive storage,  and a non-operational historic pub and boarding house complete the properties.

Five full-time and five part-time employees, as well as over 170 volunteers staff Capitol Civic Centre, Inc. Now a successful enterprise, the organization received the Chamber Manitowoc County’s Non-Profit of the Year award in both 2007 and 2014. Now noted as an “anchor for activity in the heart of downtown Manitowoc,” approximately 40,000 individuals attend performances each year.   

The renovated auditorium and new gathering areas are lovely, each serving as a tribute to the past. So what about the material cultural and history beyond the architecture and renovated spaces?  The history of the stage appears sporadically throughout the complex, such as the historic lighting board, now serving as a decorative element in the new lounge and bar area. There area also a couple of historic scenic pieces tucked away in storage areas.

Until recently, the original painted fire curtain completed the architectural ornamentation of the auditorium. Citing the expense of encapsulation to preserve this painted piece, the historic artifact was disposed of and replaced with a non-descript and modern fire curtain. This was the last painted element hanging above the stage. The executive director shared images of the painting on his computer. Although it was not the most ornate composition that I have encountered, it unified the auditorium space, completing the fourth wall of the theater. I have encountered many similar designs in the Performing Arts archives at the University of Minnesota libraries and elsewhere over the years. 1920s asbestos curtains often continue the auditorium’s color scheme and painted décor.  Once this painted ornament is removed from the auditorium, the entire dynamic of the space shifts.

The executive director could not have been more accommodating during my visit, taking time to share historic images of painted scenes where once a prominent part of the stage house. We wandered into a storage area, so I could examine an extant wing and a tri-fold set piece. The painted wing composition was standard affair for a late 19^th century tormentor, complete with painted drapery, ornate column and pedestal. The other set piece depicted a fancy interior with some lovely gold ornament.  I was allowed to to photograph details of the painting techniques. Examples that I will use in the upcoming professional development work shop with Jenny Knott this month. We are again partnering to teach a painting class at CITT/ICTS Rendez-Vous Annual Conference. This is the Canadian Institute of Theatre Technology, similar to USITT. One week from today, I journey to White Horse, a remote town in the Yukon where the conference is being held this year.

After looking at the painted flats, I was guided up a long flight of stairs to see a historic drop. In a previous phone conversation, I was told that one rolled-up backdrop had survived and was neatly tucked away in an upper lever.  I was not expecting to unroll anything, but wanted to see the wooden battens and quality of fabric, hoping to date the piece. In fact, there were three rolled up scenes, resting on a series of metal bars above a long hallway at the top of the stairs. In many ways, this is an ideal location for access to the drops, even though one would stop traffic if they were removed from the building.

The wooden battens and fabric of the pieces suggest that all three pre-date the venue and were likely delivered to another theater. It is possible that the scenes were refurbished and sold to the Capitol Theatre in 1921, but more likely the scenes were “adopted” over time, finding their way over from a nearby opera house.  Manitowoc was home to several theaters over the years, including the Manitowoc Opera House, located on the 400 block of North Eighth Street.

Unfortunately, I was unable to verify that any of the rolled backdrops were those depicted in the historic photos. It was obvious that one was a foliage composition, either a border or leg drop, as the piece was once netted. In regard to the other two, it is impossible to identify any subject matter.

I would be curious to see the painted compositions and if there are any studio markings to identify origin.  However, these historic artifacts remain very low on the theater’s list of priorities and I doubt they will be unrolled anytime soon. At least they are safely tucked away where they may be forgotten, inadvertently preserving this history.

To be continued…

On my return trip home from the League of Historic American Theatres conference in Philadelphia, I stopped by the Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb, Illinois.  While examining the old fire curtain, I spotted not only the Union stencil, but also a stencil with “National Theatre Supply Company” above it. Over the years, National Theatre Supply Co. has popped up on my radar, time and time again.

As I peered at the faint type above “National Theatre Supply Company” on the asbestos curtain, I first made out the word “Lemle,” and then “Painted by William Lemle Co.” The Egyptian Theatre fire curtain is extremely significant in the course of American Theatre history for this stencil alone, as it links together two significant scenic studios in 1929.

I immediately thought of another project delivered by the two studios the same year, a second Egyptian-themed theater that was built in McAlester, Oklahoma. National Theatre Supply Co. and Wm. Lemle Co. delivered one of the largest Scottish Rite scenery collections in the United States to the Scottish rite Theater in McAlester, Oklahoma. In a newspaper article from November 1929, Moses was noted as a representative for both the Lemle Co. and the National Theatre Supply Co. in regard to the McAlester Scottish Rite project. Moses designed and painted the entire collection, recording that the stage settings were 40’-0” high by 60’-0” wide and the stage was 140’-0” deep.

While researching these two studios in 1929, I encountered a letter sent to Moses at “Wm. Lemle Co., Chicago, Ill.” Penned by William H. Fuller, Venerable Master of the Albert Pike Lodge of Perfection in McAlester, he mentions that the scenery was damaged en route to the McAlester Scottish Rite theater, and specifically requests for either the Lemle Co. or the National Theatre Supply Co. to write a letter recording their grievance. 

So what do we know about the National theatre Supply Co. and Moses’ involvement with the firm?  Let’s start with the end of Sosman & Landis in 1923. That year the studio is liquidated, their space rented to another firm and the name sold. Moses partners with Fred Megan of the Kansas City Scenic Co. and they attempt to purchase the name of the company. Before they are able to legally use the name “Sosman & Landis,” they work under the studio name Moses & Megan. Hoyland and Lemle purchased the Sosman & Landis studio contents at that same time. Later William Lemle Inc. would use the old Sosman & Landis studio space.

Moses & Megan lease the Fabric Studio in Chicago, the same company that delivers the Joplin Scottish Rite scenery. Moses & Megan produce the 1926 Salt Lake Consistory scenery, as well as the 1927 Oakland Scottish Rite scenery. Moses and Megan would continue working together until 1931, but Moses would also begin representing both the William Lemle Co. and the National Theatre Supply Co.

Why is Moses so adamant to retain the studio name? Because Moses has been a major player in Sosman & Landis scenery production since the very beginning. The studio name is synonymous with quality and Moses is integrally linked to the company. One could even surmise that Moses was the face of the company, as his reputation was intertwined with their work since 1880. In 1904 after Moses returned to Chicago after a successful career in New York City (Moses & Hamilton), he assumed all control over all Sosman & Landis design, painting, construction and installation. He becomes the vice-president and was even rewarded $5,000 in stocks in addition to control over production. He later becomes company president after the death of studio founder Joseph S. Sosman. Moses had an incentive to remain connected with the studio name until quite late in his career. In later years, he is listed as the artistic director of Sosman & Landis.

However, there are a few things to keep in mind as National Theatrical Supply is established in the shadows of Sosman & Landis’s close. In 1920, six Sosman & Landis scenic artists leave to form Service Studios. Many of the black and white photographs in their sales books are exact replicas of Sosman & Landis Masonic models. In other words, they are peddling the same designs without the Sosman & Landis name.  Service Studios is soon sold and becomes ACME studio. The ACME studio also uses the Sosman & Landis designs in their sales catalogues.

This all happens after a big upset at Sosman & Landis. Two key figures responsible for the Scottish Rite connection pass away just before WWI; founder Joseph S. Sosman and M. C. Lilley representative Bestor G. Brown. Their passing causes the alliance between a major regalia company and a significant scenic studio to cease, allowing another studio takes the reins of Masonic degree production – Toomey & Volland. Under the leadership of Hugo R. Volland, St. Louis Scottish Rite backstage director and president of Toomey & Volland, this St. Louis-based scenic studio is awarded dozens of Masonic contracts in the post-WWI years.

Now back to the another firm delivering Scottish Rite scenery in the 1920s – the National Theatre Supply Co. Founded in 1926, the National Theatre Supply Company advertised as the “largest theatre equipment and supply service organization,” with “31 well managed, well stocked branch store in operation throughout the country, doing a volume of business considerably in excess of what was transacted when the field was being served by individual dealers. And, too, more dependable and satisfactory service is in evidence on every hand.”

Their advertisements explain, “chain store operation in other American industries is one of increased efficiency in service and pronounced economy in merchandising, reacting directly and favorably to the advantage of those who buy. This condition is being exemplified in the operation of the National Theatre Supply Company.” This paragraph is hard to read without thinking of the massive theatrical complexes targeted by this new company and not think, “Super-size me.”

In 1927, the National Theatre Supply Company noted that a new scenery and drape department was formed under its direct supervision.  The new department was paced under the direction of Mr. P. L. Landis, “a specialist in stage technique with headquarters in the general offices of the Company in Chicago.” Landis was credited with being “well known to the trade, having been a member of the original Sosman & Landis Company in Chicago. With 12 years of experience in all braches of scenery production and stagecraft, he is particularly fitted to head the new department.”  When Moses was elected Sosman & Landis Co. president in 1915, Arthur Sosman was elected vice-president and Perry Landis treasurer.

National Theatre Supply Co. advertisements note the following:

“The National Theatre Supply Company manufacturers nothing, nor has it any direct control over factory costs or factory list prices of any article it sells. It is strictly a sales organization and service representative of a majority of manufacturers of theatre equipment and supplies. It is therefore obvious that the establishment of selling process is not within its power, except insofar as quantity purchasing and increased consumption are concerned. Quantity production and distribution governs the price of everyday commodity or service, regardless of its nature. The same conditions apply to the theatre supply industry and any readjustment of prices must necessarily result from the patronage and support. And when manufacturers are given a suitable volume of business, their products serviced promptly and reliably and their bills paid in accordance with terms there s very little likelihood of an increase in price of these products.”

The same National Theatre Supply catalogue included a photograph with the caption, “Spacious scenic studio of William Lemle Inc. of Chicago, the entire output of which will be distributed through national service.” The problem is that the photograph actually depicted the Sosman & Landis studio prior to WWI, complete with Joseph Sosman in the center and Moses painting one of the drops. The Lemle company was simply using an old photograph of the space.

To be continued…

My visit to the Thomas G. Moses’ Oak Park home and the gravesite of Walter W. Burridge took more time than anticipated on Friday, July 19. This prevented my traveling north to Fox Lake where Palette & Chisel club members once congregated during the summer.  I came up with a quick “Plan B.” Looking at rush-hour traffic on a Friday afternoon, I decided to simply head to my final destination for the evening in Genoa, Illinois, by way of DeKalb. On a whim, I decided to contact the executive director of the Egyptian Theatre to see if I could stop by and see the theater.

I met both the executive director and architect who are in the midst of a major renovation, expanding the theater to expand restrooms, concessions, storage and add air conditioning. Representatives from theater had actually attended my session on researching historic venues at the League of Historic American Theatre’s conference that week.

I arrived a few minutes early for my meeting, allowing me the opportunity to walk around the block and examine the “L-shaped” structure of the building from various angles.  Fortunately, it was a small block, preventing me from suffering heat stroke on my short walk. It was one of those ridiculously hot and humid days. The earlier trek about the Forest Home Cemetery had just about done me in that afternoon.

I had never stopped in the area, but downtown DeKalb is lovely with colorful floral displays dotting every corner. The front of the Egyptian Theatre is really an anomaly when compared with other buildings on the street.  Opening in 1929, the exterior and interior was decorated in the popular Egyptian theme, a trend that picked up speed after the discovery of Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922.

As I entered the building, I examined by the narrow lobby that led to the auditorium on the right; no wonder the need for expansion.  Not quite sure of what to expect in the auditorium, I was surprised by large murals on the house left and house right sides.

Looking at the rows of refurbished seating, I had to wonder what local audiences thought when the theater first opened to the public.  I made my way to the stage, curious to see if any original machinery still remained. Nope.

When the building was constructed, however, the focal point of the auditorium’s Egyptian decor was a colorful fire curtain. Removed, encapsulated, and repositioned in the early 1980s, the painted composition is now difficult to see under work lights. My host graciously pulled up an image of the curtain on his phone. The scene reminded me of one in the scenic collection database at the University of Minnesota Performing Arts Archives.  I went to the backside of the fire curtain to see of there was a studio stamp.

What I discovered made my brief stop completely worthwhile. Above a very faint union stamp, was the name of the studio. The executive director was completely unaware of the stencil as I attempted to read the script.  After a few moments of squinting and taking pictures to enlarge the font, it became clear that the name of the studio was “National Theatre Supply Co. Chicago.”  Wow.

National Theatre Supply Co. of Chicago was one of the many theatre firms that Thomas G. Moses (1856-1934) worked for during the late 1920s and early 1930s. He passed away in 1934.  He not only worked for National Theatre Supply Co., but also Armstrong Studios and William Lemle and Co, dividing his time between studios in Chicago, Illinois, and Oakland, California.

More on the National Theatre Supply Co. tomorrow.

To be continued…

While planning my journey back from Philadelphia after an exhausting week at the League of Historic American Theatre national conference, I decided to stretch my car trip out over three days. My return trip included stops at the Cleveland Scottish Rite, Thomas Moses’ Oak Park home and Walter Burridge’s gravesite at Forest Home Cemetery. I realized that if I were to route my trip through Des Moines to see our eldest child, my journey would also pass by Moses’ hometown of Sterling.

After spending the evening of July 19 in Genoa, Illinois, with close friends and visiting the Egyptian Theatre at DeKalb, I was on the road the next morning by 6:20 a.m. Instead of taking a direct route that would take an hour, I decided to meander west first to Oregon, Illinois, and then head south along the river. That provided and opportunity to pass a few historic opera houses, understanding that I would have to be satisfied with just seeing the exterior of each building.

It was going to be another scorcher, and I was thankful to be spending most of the day in a cool car, driving along a picturesque river. I first stopped in Oregon at the Kiwanis Park to enjoyed the early morning sun sparkling down a rambling river, Then I tracked down the local opera house, as I knew there must be one somewhere nearby. It was too early to visit any theater; I located the opera house building adjacent to the Masonic hall and across from city hall – go figure.

Other stops included Castle Rock State Park and Grand Detour. Grand Detour is an idyllic town, home to an 1850 Episcopal church and an 1857 hotel. A small village nestled between two rivers; the old hotel with hitching posts was for sale. So much potential in this little town. As I ventured south, I stopped by another opera house in bustling town of Dixon; who knew that this was the birthplace of Ronald Reagan?

As I drove to my destination in Sterling, Illinois, I passed one of the major cemeteries, making a little note to come back and peak around.  I would later discover that the gravestones had many scenic art family names, including Landis and Tuttle.

As I followed my navigational route to 508 W. 7^th Street, I noticed the sign “Lincoln Memorial.”  This recent memorial that sat across the street from the first home that Moses purchased in 1879. For a brief period of time, the couple returned to their hometown of Sterling until Moses realized that there was not enough theatrical work in the area to cover their bills.

I sat awestruck looking at the small white house, imagining what the neighborhood looked like when the couple moved in. After all, it was only a stone’s throw away from Lucius M. Moses’ tannery along the river. Moses had left the town to escape the family trade and settle in 1879 only a few blocks away – struggling. His father had also gone out of his way to discourage local businesses from hiring his son.  It must have been an incredibly difficult period in his life, as well as their marriage, when young couple was just trying to make a go of it.

Before leaving town, I could not resist stopping by the local public library, chatting with the librarians, and donating a book in honor of Thomas Moses. The Sterling Public library was founded in 1878, but the current building had been constructed in 1913, another Carnegie Library building.

I soon discovered that the library’s local historian had recently retired, but I was given access to the history center and genealogy room. There I discovered some interesting history about the area, captured in old postcards and local directories. I searched for specific listings that provided answers to many of my questions about extended family members and businesses. Unfortunately I could not stay for long, as my Des Moines lunch date was over three hours away and I had another four-hour drive back to Minneapolis after that. I left town at 10:30 and headed West, all the while contemplating new bits of information that provided insight into Moses’ childhood and hometown.

To be continued…