Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 1030 – The Empress Theater and the Chicago Studio of Sosman & Landis, 1919

Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett

Chicago’s Empress Theater opened in 1913. The venue was located in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago. Six years later the building was renovated and purchased new scenery. The Chicago Studio of Sosman & Landis was contracted to supply the new sets. This is not to be confused with Chicago Studios, the company that Thomas G. Moses worked for in 1919 after leaving New York Studios.

In 1919, Moses wrote, “A new contract was entered into between the Chicago Studios and myself for one year. I hope it will prove to be a paying one in which I participate in the profits and a raise in salary, which means my old salary of $100.00 and a bonus.” Chicago Studios was a competitor of Sosman & Landis. It was also the same name as midwestern branch of Sosman & Landis Scene painting Studios, making the history a bit complicated. On Nov. 1, 1919, Chicago Studios placed a want ad in the “Chicago Tribune”:

“MEN-YOUNG, BETWEEN THE AGES OF 16 and 21 to learn to paint theatrical scenery; must start in as paint boy and work up; salary to start $15 per week; an excellent opportunity for one who wishes to learn the trade. Apply Chicago Studios 15 W. 20^th-st” (page 25).

This is from the same time when Moses was working at Chicago Studios; he needed to expand the staff.

Of the Sosman & Landis’ Chicago Studio, the “Herald and Review” credited the firm with the new Empress Theater sets in 1919 (Decatur, Illinois, 10 Aug 1919, page 18). The article reported, “Empress Theater Opens Next Week. Interior has been redecorated and new stage lighting system installed. After being closed for a period of six weeks for redecorating, the Empress will open for its fall and winter seasons next Sunday afternoon. Extensive improvements have been made during the closed period, the interior being entirely newly decorated, new seat covers for the orchestra chairs and the scenery department supplied with new sets from the Chicago studio of Sosman & Landis. A new lighting system has been installed, exactly like the one being used on the stage of the Great State-Lake theater, Chicago. Twelve sets of lights, each containing a 500-watt nitrogen lamp, set in a specially constructed reflector, will throw 6,000 watts of light on the performers, making it one of the brightest stages in this art of the country.”

To be continued…