Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett
I spent yesterday afternoon in Afton, Colorado, at the Wheeler Opera House. This was a trip instigated by Ziska Childs; a project that took advantage my visit to the Tabor Opera House in Leadville this month. I was fortunate to share my on-site discoveries with Jenny Knott, Michael Powers, Greg Marsters, and Tammy Taber. After an in-depth examination of the Wheeler drop curtain, we suspended it from a downstage line and admired the scenic art from the house. Shortly after the unveiling, my preliminary findings were presented to the Board of Directors. I am currently in the process of developing an historical analysis, condition report and replacement appraisal for the piece.
The current drop curtain for the Wheeler Opera House was delivered by Tiffin Scenic Studios, Inc. in 1983. It is the same subject matter as the drop curtain first delivered to the Wheeler Opera House when it opened in 1889. The original drop curtain for the Wheeler Opera House was painted by Henry E. Burcky, a scenic artist for the Tabor Opera House in Leadville and Tabor Grand Opera House in Denver. Prior to relocating west, Burcky was also a scenic artist at Hooley’s Theatre in Chicago and also painted for the Cincinnati Opera Festival in 1881. I have written about him quite a bit in the past. On March 26, 1889, the Aspen Times interviewed Manager Weill of the Wheeler Opera House who described the new drop curtain as “a representation of the Brooklyn Bridge painted by Burke [of the Chicago Opera House] from sketches obtained in this city and is one of the best pieces of work of the kind I have ever seen.”
That same year that Burcky worked for the Wheeler Opera House, he also painted a drop curtain for DeRemer’s Opera House in Pueblo, Colorado.
Burcky first came onto my radar while researching a set of painted cut wings at Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, c. 1890. From 1884-1890 Burcky painted scenes for Tabor’s opera houses in both Leadville and Denver. During this time, Burcky and master mechanic J. C. Alexander renovated numerous Colorado stages for the Silver Circuit, their projects included those in Aspen, Leadville, and Pueblo.
The extant drop curtain at the Wheeler Opera House by Tiffin Studios is either a painted replica of the original drop curtain, or one inspired by Burcky’s work. I am currently on a quest to track down the history for this particular piece.
Tiffin Scenic Studios, Inc.
Tiffin Scenic Studios, Inc.
Tiffin Scenic Studios, Inc.
Tiffin Scenic Studios, Inc.
Tiffin Scenic Studios, Inc.
Tiffin Scenic Studios, Inc.
Tiffin Scenic Studios, Inc.
Tiffin Scenic Studios, Inc.
Tiffin Scenic Studios, Inc.
To be continued…
Stanley Clark Warner was my great-grandfather. He & Mary Ella left Canada with their 3 children in 1897 for the mountains of Colorado for her Tuberculosis. He was County Crown Attorney for Queen Victoria while in Ontario. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9570016/stanley-clark-warner
Thank you for your comments and the link.