Tabor Opera House, Leadville, Colorado: European Street Scene Shutters, ca. 1888.
The Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado.
From September 21-27, 2020, I led a group of local volunteers to document historic stage settings in the attic of the Tabor Opera House (Leadville, Colorado). Below are two shutters, dating from 1888. Shutters created backings for stage picture when rolled together, forming a perfect solution for theaters that did not have room to raise backdrops out of sight. Shutters paired with side wings to mask the off stage areas. Wings and shutters slid on and off the stage in grooves to form scenic illusion on nineteenth and twentieth century stages across the United States.
The scenes are painted on linen fabric and tacked to pine frames. Pure color (dry pigment) was mixed with a binder of diluted hide glue and applied to the linen.
Two shutters that form a European Street Scene at the Tabor Opera House.Painted detail on shutter at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado.Painted detail on shutter at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado.Painted detail on shutter at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado.Painted detail on shutter at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado.Painted detail on shutter at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado.Painted detail on shutter at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado.Painted detail on shutter at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado.The shutter was stored in the Tabor Opera House attic when the stage was renovated from 1901-1902. In 2020, the shutter was documented and lowered to the stage floor.The shutter was stored in the Tabor Opera House attic when the stage was renovated from 1901-1902. In 2020, the shutter was documented and lowered to the stage floor.Lowering a shutter from the attic to the stage floor.Flat sheaves were attached to the bottoms of wings and shutter, allowing them to effortlessy roll on and off stage.
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.
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