Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In “The History of the Tabor Opera House, a Captivating History,” author Evelyn E. Livingston Furman described the first scenery delivered to Leadville’s Tabor Opera House in 1879. Keep in mind that H. A. W. Tabor was consistently purchasing the best for his first opera house in Leadville, Colorado. For most features he ordered the best that money could buy. One only has to only look at the opera chairs, complete with plush seats and hat racks beneath, top of the line from the Andrews Company.
The opera chairs, and everything else for the Tabor Opera House were purchased and transported before the railway stopped in this mountain community.
I cannot imagine that the focal point of the stage would have been treated any less. My guess is that the scenery cost was also considered top-of-the line goods. Furman notes explains that one backdrop, a scene depicting Royal Gorge, was purchased for $1000; that is the equivalent of a $25,000 today. An interesting aside before I move on with the remainder of the 1879 scenery: in 1880, “Western Magazine” mentions Royal Gorge as “located on the Leadville branch of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad” ( Vol. 4, page 176).
Furman explains that ten sets of scenes were delivered to the Tabor Opera House in 1879. This was a standard size stock collection for many smaller venues. Larger theaters ordered as many as 25 to 35 sets, while smaller musical halls may only purchase four sets.
By 1884, “Harry Miner’s American Dramatic Directory” noted there were 12 sets of scenery, increasing the original installation by two sets. This is also common, as new theaters continued to increase their stock, even within the first decade. We also know that scenery was again delivered in 1888 by scenic artist Frank Cox. So how do we know what’s up in the attic? We don’t, not yet, at least.
The original 1879 pieces are purportedly stored in the attic, but with an ever-expanding collection before the 1901 renovation it is hard to know what comprises the original collection. There is wing and shutter scenery, as well as roll drops, in the attic that pre-dates the 1902 Kansas City Scenic Co. scenery; of that there is no question. I dug through much of it and documented what I could on my 49th birthday. I know, without any doubt at all, that the wing and shutter scenery in the attic pre-dates the 1901 building renovation, and I can easily identify the 1902 scenery, as it is too tall for the original stage, and many pieces even included studio stencils on the back.
In theatrical guides, the height of the original grooves for the Tabor Opera House stage was listed as 16’-0”. The height of the proscenium varied in publications from 17’-0” to 20’-0”. All of the 1902 scenery is 18’-0” tall.
Other 1879 scenery mentioned by Furman include a forest scene, a garden scene, a palace scene, a plain chamber scene with a balcony, and a prison scene. Amazingly, we uncovered what is likely the original balcony last week, albeit in very poor shape. It seems to be the appropriate age, complete with rough-hewn lumber and very unlike the 1902 scenery. Our roll drop discovery with the Palace composition was also constructed of rough-hewn lumber.
Furman also recorded a set of double-painted flats: one depicting a New England Kitchen and the other a Baronial Hall scene on the other. I knew exactly what she was talking about as two of those flats were on stage last week; I knew that the rest were in the attic. However, we noticed that the Baronial Hall side (a Gothic interior) was over painted. Although it was an identical composition below, the flat had been repainted. This absolutely fascinated me, and I took several photographs of the under-painting that depicted an identical composition with slightly different coloration. Although exciting, it throws a wrench into the works. It will be harder to determine what is original painting.
Theatre scenery was, and remains, ephemeral in nature. Repainting and replacing are all part of our process; stock sets were never intended to be permanent. Those that remain are really the anomaly.
Finally Furman mentions three sets of wood wings for the exterior scenes and a mountain stream scene. I located the mountain stream scene shutters, and it is beautifully painted.
I also located a few wood borders. What I did notice about the collection in the attic, is how quickly the painting falls apart. It was during this time that the American scenic art wars were in full swing; those who used a series of glazes to paint stage settings versus those who used opaque washes. Opaque washes were employed in many Midwestern scenic studios and their artists, and condescendingly referred to as “slap dash.” Looking at the scenery in the attic, slap-dash certainly comes to mind. Unlike the refined techniques employed on the Sosman & Landis interior settings below, the wings, shutter, and borders in the attic appear in stark contrast. This is a fascinating time to examine the aesthetic shift that was occurring n the American stage.
In the attic during 2018, I noticed there was a grand border and two matching torms, complete with marble columns and draperies. I caught glimpses of fancy interiors, Gothic exteriors, garden walls with colorful vines, brilliant wood borders and so much more. The Tabor Opera House is a treasure trove of scenic art and stagecraft. Their collection shows the delightful transition from itinerant artists employing the slap-dash on site to mass-produced scenery produced at a major scenic studio and shipped from a distant location. I am left with great anticipation to catalogue what’s in the Tabor Opera House attic this spring.
To be continued…
