I feel wonderfully exhausted after
today’s activities. There have been too many long days spent at the theatre,
and too many short nights spent at home deciphering the day’s information.
I was asked tonight by Colorado
Public tonight what it felt like to uncover scenic treasures at the Tabor Opera
House in Leadville Colorado. It took me
a minute to respond, as “magical” is too simple a response; the experience is much
more than that for me.
Removing the layers of dust from an historic
stage setting is like stepping back in time and embracing old friends. Seldom
am I overwhelmed with emotion when a scene is lowered to the stage. In most cases,
it is like the comfort of a warm banket on a cold day. Today, I teared when the first two shutters were
joined, creating a rustic country scene. We sat in the audience admiring the painted shutters
by Frank Cox from 1888. It had taken more
than a century for this onstage reunion and we reveled in the moment.
Two shutters by T. Frank Cox for the Tabor Opera House, Leadville, Colorado, 1888.Painted detail. A shutter by T. Frank Cox for the Tabor Opera House, Leadville, Colorado, 1888.Painted detail. A shutter by T. Frank Cox for the Tabor Opera House, Leadville, Colorado, 1888.Painted detail. A shutter by T. Frank Cox for the Tabor Opera House, Leadville, Colorado, 1888.Lowering a shutter by T. Frank Cox for the Tabor Opera House, Leadville, Colorado, 1888.Lowering a shutter by T. Frank Cox for the Tabor Opera House, Leadville, Colorado, 1888.Two cut shutters by T. Frank Cox for the Tabor Opera House, Leadville, Colorado, 1888.
Some of us feel we were born into
the wrong era, embracing the aesthetic of another time and place our entire lives;
I am one of those people. Today, I would have given anything to stand in the
wings and help position these freshly painted new shutters into place for the
next scene.
What a transformative experience.
To be continued…
Author: waszut_barrett@me.com
Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett, PhD, is an author, artist, and historian, specializing in painted settings for opera houses, vaudeville theaters, social halls, cinemas, and other entertainment venues. For over thirty years, her passion has remained the preservation of theatrical heritage, restoration of historic backdrops, and the training of scenic artists in lost painting techniques. In addition to evaluating, restoring, and replicating historic scenes, Waszut-Barrett also writes about forgotten scenic art techniques and theatre manufacturers. Recent publications include the The Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple: Freemasonry, Architecture and Theatre (Museum of New Mexico Press, 2018), as well as articles for Theatre Historical Society of America’s Marquee, InitiativeTheatre Museum Berlin’s Die Vierte Wand, and various Masonic publications such as Scottish Rite Journal, Heredom and Plumbline. Dr. Waszut-Barrett is the founder and president of Historic Stage Services, LLC, a company specializing in historic stages and how to make them work for today’s needs. Although her primary focus remains on the past, she continues to work as a contemporary scene designer for theatre and opera.
View all posts by waszut_barrett@me.com
2 thoughts on “Travels of a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Day 5 at The Tabor Opera House. September 25, 2020.”
Wendy,
I can’t express how much we appreciate your leadership as we go through this grueling, but wonderful task of discovering and learning about our magnificent works of art that have survived so many caretakers of the Tabor Opera House.
After 5 days of this work we are all sore and exhausted, but you continue to cheerfully guide all of us novices through this process. And at the end of a long day you complete the paperwork, give interviews, and last night held an informative session with our Board and other collaborators on this project. You are a treasure and I just want to say a big THANK YOU from all of us at the Tabor Opera House Preservation Foundation.
Wendy,
I can’t express how much we appreciate your leadership as we go through this grueling, but wonderful task of discovering and learning about our magnificent works of art that have survived so many caretakers of the Tabor Opera House.
After 5 days of this work we are all sore and exhausted, but you continue to cheerfully guide all of us novices through this process. And at the end of a long day you complete the paperwork, give interviews, and last night held an informative session with our Board and other collaborators on this project. You are a treasure and I just want to say a big THANK YOU from all of us at the Tabor Opera House Preservation Foundation.
Mary Ann Graham-Best, President
It is such a delight working with you! I could not ask for a better group of volunteers as we catalogue this wonderful collection.