Category: Footlights

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar: Part 776 – Thomas G. Moses and the Memphis Scottish Rite, 1911

The Scottish Rite in Memphis, Tennessee.

In 1911, Thomas G. Moses wrote, “Some more work at Memphis, Tenn., Masonic.” Sosman & Landis delivered additional scenery two years after the initial installation. In 1909, Moses recorded that Sosman & Landis produced a scenery collection for the Scottish Rite in Memphis, Tennessee. At the time, scenery was purchased through M. C. Lilley and work subcontracted to Sosman & Landis.  

The auditorium and drop curtain at the Memphis Scottish Rite. Scenery was delivered by Sosman & Landis in 1909 and 1911
Photograph posted online by the Memphis Scottish Rite of their spring reunion work.
The auditorium at the Memphis Scottish Rite.
Architectural ornamentation at the Memphis Scottish Rite auditorium.

The first reunion in the Memphis Scottish Rite building was held from November 15 to 19, 1909. Over the years, a variety of Masonic activity at the Memphis Scottish Rite Temple was reported in newspaper articles, personal correspondence, and business letters.

In 1916, a letter from Charles Rosenbaum of Little Rock, Arkansas, to Frank A. Derr of Guthrie, Oklahoma, addressed the use of footlights in Scottish Rite theaters. The letter noted that the Scottish Rite in Memphis Tennessee employed the use of footlights for their degree productions. The Guthrie Scottish Rite was considering the installation of footlights for their stage.

Rosenbaum responded to Derr’s query on June 10, 1916:

“I note what you say about footlights, but what use are they? In our old synagogue [the Albert Pike Cathedral, 1896], we had footlights; we found them sort of a nuisance. When we built on 8th and Scott [the Albert Pike Consistory Building, 1902] we left them out entirely.

While in New York several years ago talking to Stage expert equipment people they showed me foot light equipment they were building for a High School building and it had a nice disappearing arrangement, which was all right.

I asked what was the necessary for foot lights, and why they were used.

The answer was —You have to have them to throw up the light on the people on the front of the stage to light up and destroy the rawness of their makeup, which means the paint and stuff they use on their faces, they said you can’t get along without them for that reason.

I said —Suppose there is no makeup, and I described our use of a stage, and they said it would be foolish to have footlights at all, and only in case we rented the building for theatrical purposes would it be necessary, because when Actors and Actresses made up the necessity would it be evident.

So —as we don’t rent for any such purpose and don’t make up our faces, and have no business very far out toward the front of the stage, or for that matter in front of the curtain line, we have no use for ‘foot lights, to high light our faces and they have no use for them in Memphis either unless they rent for shows of one kind or another.’”

There is something to consider beyond the topic of footlights that Rosenbaum discusses in the letter.  When many Scottish Rite stages were constructed, they were never intended for public use or rentals. Times have changed and public rental income is a necessity.  This mean that many stages have been altered to accommodate a renter, or make it more appealing for public rentals.

Over the years, the Memphis Scottish Rite altered their building for a variety or reasons, including a movie set. While examining the history of the building, I discovered an article that reporting the theater was “expanded and refurbished” when used to film performance scenes for the 2005 movie “Walk the Line,” starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspon.





Still from 2005 film, “Walk the Line” at the Memphis Scottish Rite posted at
http://masoniccontemporary.org/welcome#/id/i9190912
Note proscenium side lights at the Memphis Scottish Rite. Still from 2005 film, “Walk the Line” at the Memphis Scottish Rite posted at
http://masoniccontemporary.org/welcome#/id/i9190912
Backstage at the Memphis Scottish Rite. Still from 2005 film, “Walk the Line” at the Memphis Scottish Rite posted at
http://masoniccontemporary.org/welcome#/id/i9190912
The counterweight system, Brown’s Special System, is picture in the background of this film still. Note the wooden arbor frame. Still from 2005 film, “Walk the Line” at the Memphis Scottish Rite posted at
http://masoniccontemporary.org/welcome#/id/i9190912

In some ways, the rental of Scottish Rite buildings and stages for filmwork has provided much necessary income for many Scottish Rite Valleys. However, the money comes at a price.  Damage inevitably occurs over time as various lighting systems and other equipment are installed for a specific film scene, or temporary structures are anchored to existing walls. 

I think of the continued television and film work that occurs in the Santa Fe Scottish Rite and recognize the recent changes that have compromised a once unique system. The original counterweight system, known as Brown’s Special System, has been irreparably altered from its original state. Photographs of this system that were published in “The Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple: Freemasonry, Architecture and Theatre (2018, Museum of New mexico Press) depict a pristine system, one that remained unaltered since its installation in 1912. No matter the historical significance, or words of caution, nothing could have prevented its alteration over the past two years.

I understand that change is inevitable as the Fraternity responds to declining membership.  In many instances, the loss of membership means a loss of annual revenue, prompting Scottish Rite Valleys to respond in various ways, such as public rentals. Some renovate the space that generates the greatest rental income; in many instances it is the stage and auditorium. For an organization that remained locked in time for decades, a few individuals are irreparably altering their spaces.  Stage houses, specifically the scenery, stage machinery and other systems, are often repaired, altered, or renovated, without any undertstanding of the system. Furthermore, these alterations are often completed without the knowledge of the membership or staff.  Sadly, a few members consider these historic buildings as their personal playgrounds, completing one “home-improvement” projects after another and using unrated hardware, duct tape, contact cement, and other inappropriate products for their work. 

Go visit your nearest Scottish Rite theater now, as change is coming and it might be different by tomorrow.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 687 – Footlights on the Scottish Rite stage

Part 687: Footlights and the Scottish Rite stage

Lighting was an integral part of the Scottish Rite stage. In past posts, I have touched on the subject of lighting and its control by scenic artists during the nineteenth and early twentieth century. In 1913 many scenic artists still maintained control over the lighting of their work. This aspect of the commercial stage was noted by well-known scenic artists Ernest Albert in 1913. In an interview with Arthur Edwin Krows of the “The New York Dramatic Mirror, ” Albert explained his own design process for the stage. He explained that a scenic artist’s function did not cease until the scenery was all installed and the lighting arrangements completed. He commented, “Lighting is within [the scenic artist’s] province, just as groupings are in a measure. An unexpected orange light on violet, for instance, will produce a russet brown that will make everything look dirty.”

For the next few posts, I am going to examine some lighting characteristics apparent in early twentieth-century Scottish Rite theaters, starting with footlights. Some Scottish Rites installed footlights in the early twentieth century and others did not. In 1904, the Scottish Rite stage in Duluth included a series of retractable footlights, allowing the performers to easily access the steps at the front of the stage as they were not permanently up.

Footlights at the Scottish Rite theater in Duluth, Minnesota.

In 1916, a letter from Charles Rosenbaum of Little Rock to Frank A. Derr of Guthrie, Oklahoma, addressed the use of footlights in Scottish Rite theaters. Derr had asked Rosenbaum about the need for footlights in a previous letter, noting that the Scottish Rite in Memphis Tennessee employed the use of footlights for their degree productions. Derr was considering the value of installing footlights at the Scottish Rite in Guthrie, Texas.

Rosenbaum responded to Derr’s query on June 10, 1916:

“I note what you say about footlights, but what use are they? In our old synagogue [the Albert Pike Cathedral in Little Rock constructed in 1896], we had footlights, we found them sort of a nuisance, when we built on 8th and Scott [the Albert Pike Consistory Building of 1902] we left them out entirely.

While in New York several years ago talking to Stage expert equipment people they showed me foot light equipment they were building for a High School building and it had a nice disappearing arrangement which was all right.

I asked what was the necessary for foot lights, and why they were used.

The answer was —You have to have them to throw up the light on the people on the front of the stage to light up or destroy the rawness of their makeup, which means the paint and stuff they use on their faces, they said you can’t get along without them for that reason.

I said —Suppose there is no makeup, and I described out use of a stage, and they said it would be foolish to have footlights at all, and only in case we rented the building for theatrical purposes would it be necessary, because when Actors and Actresses made up the necessity would it be evident.

So —as we don’t rent for any such purpose and don’t make up our faces, and have no business very far out to ward the front of the stage, or for that matter in front of the curtain line, we have no use for ‘feet lights, to high light our faces and they have no use for them in Memphis [Memphis Scottish Rite] either unless they rent for shows of one kind or another.’”

There are a few things to consider about subjects touched upon in Rosenbaum’s letter. The first is that the participant’s in degree productions on Scottish Rite stages do not wear makeup. Costumes and wigs were part of the normal degree production, but not stage makeup. This makes sense as many of the degrees were not solely contained to the stage area and they would frequently break the curtain line, getting within a very short distance of the audience; there was no need for stage makeup. The apron of a Scottish Rite stage often transitioned into three steps, allowing the actors to easily move the action out into the auditorium. Again, there was not fixed seating in the first part of the auditorium floor as this area was used for degree work.

Retractable footlights at the Scottish Rite in Duluth, Minnesota.

Retractable footlights at the Scottish Rite in Duluth, Minnesota.

Retractable footlights at the Scottish Rite in Duluth, Minnesota.

A second thing to consider is the mention of disappearing footlights. This is the same type of footlights at the Duluth Scottish Rite and other Scottish Rite Valleys. They allow the stage action to easily transition to and from the stage, a common aspect to some degree productions. This is all dependent on the individual interpretation of a particular Scottish Rite valley.

The final point concerns the Scottish Rite stage being used by non-Masonic groups. This was an option many Scottish Rite stages from the onset; consider Masonic opera houses, Temple theaters and shared stages often provided much the needed revenue for Fraternal building expenses. Just a retail shops supported Masonic lodge rooms located on the top floors of a Masonic building, so did stages provide revenue for Masonic edifices. Some were specifically planned and constructed for the Fraternity, as it was another viable source of income that paid for the basic operation of the building. Some Masonic complexes even had two theaters; one solely for Scottish Rite purposes and the other for the general public. Masonic buildings in Detroit, Michigan, and Cincinnati, Ohio, are only two examples.

To be continued…