Category: Scottish Rite Theater

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 350 – Charles E. Rosenbaum in Little Rock, Arkansas


Part 350: Charles E. Rosenbaum in Little Rock, Arkansas

Charles E. Rosenbaum picture in the 1899 Scottish Rite Reunion program.

One of the primary figures who promoted Scottish Rite degree productions in the Southern Jurisdiction was Charles E. Rosenbaum, Sovereign Grand Inspector General of Arkansas. At this same time that Rosenbaum was locating a building to house a Scottish Rite theatre, another Scottish Rite was building a theater in Oakland, California. In Arkansas, Rosenbaum instigated the purchase and conversion of a Hebrew Synagogue to include an elevated stage and proscenium for Scottish Rite degree productions. Rosenbaum’s inclusion of staged degree work and the immediate popularity from his endeavor throughout the western region helped secure his membership in the Supreme Council. Later, as the Sovereign Grand Inspector General of Arkansas, he was also appointed to the new ritual committee. A new movement was afoot in the Southern Jurisdiction and the theatrical interpretations of degrees were no longer actively suppressed as they once had been under Grand Commander Pike’s regime.

So lets look back at what was going on at this time. During December 1895, Rosenbaum posted a “Notice to Owners of Real Estate” in the Daily Arkansas Gazette (Little Rock, 10 Dec 1895, page 7). He noted hat “The Scottish Rite bodies, Free Masonry of this city desire to purchase a piece of property suitable for Masonic purposes and to that end solicit sealed proposals from those having property to offer, whether improved or unimproved.” Rosenbaum was the chair of the new building committee. By February 8, 1896, the Daily Arkansas Gazette reported that the Scottish Rite Masons had decided to purchase the “Jewish Temple property on Center Street” (page 3). It was purchased for $6,000 and a new Jewish Temple was planned to be erected for the sum of $20,000 at Fifth and Broadway Streets. By July 25, 1896 they named their new home the Albert Pike Cathedral (The Daily Gazette, page 5). The building was vacated during May of 1896. This converted synagogue in Little Rock incorporated so many of the features that would later become standard in the new construction of Scottish Rite theaters: drops, lights, proscenium opening, and set pieces. As in Chicago, the stage was slightly raised from the lodge floor by three symbolic steps. Similar to Chicago’s 1873 Egyptian Room format, Little Rock used a square proscenium opening – common to many commercial theaters of the time. In addition to a similar presentational format, Little Rock contracted the Chicago scenic studio firm of Sosman & Landis to supply the stage scenery, with Thomas G. Moses supervising the painting.

The construction of Little Rock’s stage space was so well received that additional scenery and theatrical elements were added only two years later. 1898 was also the same year that Wichita, Kansas, purchased a Scottish Rite scenery collection for their new stage. Little Rock’s Fall Reunion program of 1898 praised the new scenery acquisitions, stating that the members “will enjoy to a much greater extent the exemplification of the various degrees, assisted so materially by additional scenic and electrical effects, on which neither labor or expense have been spared, to the end that it might be the most perfect to produce” (“Fall Reunion Program” Albert Pike Scottish Rite Cathedral, 1898).

In 1899, the Guthrie Daily Leader covered the Spring Reunion in the new Masonic home in Guthrie from May 29-31. Rosenbaum was one of the many prominent Masons who were visiting from all parts of the country to see their new stage (21 May 1900, page 8). The paper reported, “Charles E. Rosenbaum, thirty-third degree, of Little Rock, will exemplify the work in the thirty-second degree. He is known throughout the United States for his proficiency in exemplifying this degree. The building of the temple is credited to Harper S. Cunningham, a thirty-third degree Mason, and now Sovereign Grand Inspector General in Oklahoma. Previously he had been a deputy of the supreme council for Oklahoma since the opening of the country.” At the time, there were 104 Scottish Rite Masons in Oklahoma with a new class of 100 participating in the Spring Reunion.

Charles E. Rosenbaum pictured with article about corner-laying ceremony for the new Albert Pike Cathedral in 1901.

A second scenery installation was delivered to Little Rock in 1902 for a new stage in and this time, the building was featured in the first year of “New Age Magazine” (later the publication became “Scottish Rite Journal”). In the article, Rosenbaum proudly claimed, “…the stage equipment in Little Rock is the most perfect in America – not only for Masonic purposes, for which it is used exclusively, but from any other point of view…nowhere else in America, with the possible exception of one theatre in New York, and one in Chicago, is it possible to produce either the scene or electric effects that can be produced on this stage.” Well, maybe in the Masonic world, but not in the commercial world. Most new theaters that opened across the country made similar statements to draw in crowds.

Regarding the successful stage effects for the 1902 Little Rock Scottish Rite, Charles E. Rosenbaum credited fellow Mason and Masonic supply representative Bestor G. Brown. Brown was credited with creating many of the superb scenic effects, including “a specially designed electrical switch board that facilitated the impressive illusions.” That would be similar to the electric board that was on display with Western Electric at the Columbian Exposition in 1893; the one that helped with the scenic electric theater’s production of “A Day in the Alps.” Brown will also later be credited with the “special” counterweight rigging system for Scottish Rite theaters. Again, it is doubtful that Brown was solely responsible for the innovation of electrical lighting and counterweight rigging systems in the big picture. In the smaller context of fraternal theater, he must have been an absolute god as he knew how to create theatre magic.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 349: The Albert Pike Cathedral in Little Rock, Arkansas – 1896


Part 349: The Albert Pike Consistory in Little Rock, Arkansas – 1896  

Thomas G. Moses takes credit for the 1896, 1902 and 1923 scenery installations for Little Rock, Arkansas. We know this from a 1929 pamphlet advertising Moses’ alliance with Armstrong Studios; it was similar to a resumé, listing his past projects and customers. In it, the 1896 Little Rock scenery was listed as the first of fifty-five Scottish Rite installations supervised by Moses between 1896 and 1929. The 1896 Little Rock collection is not the first Scottish Rite scenery installation in the United States, nor in the first in the Southern Jurisdiction. It was the first Scottish Rite collection under Moses’ lead at Sosman & Landis.

In addition to the fifty-five Scottish Rite scenery installations, Moses also supervised the scenery production for seven Shrines, fourteen Commanderies, and nine M.O.V.P.E.R Grottos. This was solely a list of his Masonic theatre projects, and it didn’t account for any other fraternal or commercial projects. If you factor in Moses’ extensive painting for opera houses, social halls, dramatic stock companies, touring shows, amusement parks, world fair attractions, coliseum shows, charity balls, circus spectacles, theatrical stars and theatrical producers, the range of work completed throughout the course of his career is staggering.

If one also considers the significance of certain productions and installations produced by Moses from 1874 until 1934, his work takes on even greater importance. Many of his shows identify key moments in the development of American Theatre from the late-nineteenth century through early-twentieth century. When looking at the scope and quality of his work, Moses becomes an instrumental figure in the evolution of not only scenic art, but also stage design.

In terms of the Masonic scenery for Little Rock in 1896, Moses had worked on other Masonic projects at Sosman & Landis during the 1880s and 1890s. However, he wasn’t responsible for them, only working along side other artists. I believe that he trained under David Austin Strong, the one that Moses refers to as “the Daddy of Masonic Design.” Little Rock was Moses’ first solo flight as supervising the creation and a delivery of a Masonic collection. Interestingly, the 1896 scenery installation for Little Rock was not the only Scottish Rite scenery collection installed in a Southern Jurisdiction theater that year, another scenery collection was produced Oakland, California.

To provide some historical context for the Little Rock scenery, one must consider that the Scottish Rite in the Northern Jurisdiction had been staging degrees for a few decades. I traced the theatrical interpretation of degree work in the Northern and Southern Jurisdictions for my doctoral dissertation “Shifting Scenes on the Scottish Rite Stage: Designing for Masonic Theatre, 1859-1929” (University of Minnesota, 2009). Although I have uncovered many more examples of early Scottish Rite stages throughout the country, the first examples occurred in the Northern Jurisdiction. Why? In a nutshell, there were rival Supreme Councils, each competing for membership and theatrical performances of the degrees were extremely appealing to the membership. Furthermore, staged degree work was marketed to Blue Lodge Masons as a superior ritual experience, especially in Ohio and Indiana. They were full of visual spectacle and incorporated scenic elements that had a track record of popular appeal. Some of the earliest degree productions included moving panoramas; they depicted the backing for a sea voyage, passing picturesque islands and weathering stormy seas.

1886 Scottish Rite scenery for Cincinnati, Ohio, painted by E. T. Harvey.
Scottish Rte theatre in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1886, with a scene painted by E. T. Harvey
Advertisement for 1886-1887 season in a Clancy Stage Hardware Catalogue. Harvey painted the Cincinnati Scottish Rite scenery at Heuck’s New Opera House. The collection replaced a previous scenery collection destroyed during a fire.

During the early experimental period with Scottish Rite scenery, a small stage was often added to an existing lodge room. These areas were not necessarily active performance spaces, but featured scenic illusion, or tableaux, to illustrate a particular event described in the degree. The stage was not always positioned in the East behind the Master’s Chair, as I previously thought. Some were placed in the symbolic West or North. One example was in Winona, Minnesota, during the 1880s, where the Masonic stage included four sets of scenery in the north. This particular location also speaks to another aspect – a lot of theatrical experimentation occurred along the geographical division between the Northern Jurisdiction and the Southern Jurisdiction.

Albert Pike, Grand Commander of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction from 1859-1891.

One thing to also constantly keep in mind is that Albert Pike, Grand Commander of the Southern Jurisdiction from 1859-1891, did not approve of the degree work that was produced as melodramas. In other words, he supported historical reenactments for each degree to educate the membership, but not the staged dramatization. His writings suggest that he did not appreciate an elaborate stage show with theatre sets, costumes and lights; in other words, melodramatic interpretations of Masonic lore. Pike condemned the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction’s performance of staged degree productions during in 1882. In his Allocution, Pike stated, “The Rite in this Jurisdiction is a Rite of instruction, and not of scenic pomp and stage-show.” Pike’s condemnation of elaborate degree productions continued, “I can not conceive of a more useless occupation than the arranging and performing of degrees, neither the effect nor the purpose of which is to make men wiser or better, but which are acted as melodramas, to gratify an aesthetic taste and please the imagination, like the pageantry of cardinals and orioles.”

That statement makes it pretty clear that Pike did not envision an audience of Masons watching a Scottish Rite stage show in lieu of the actual degree work. It would be the same as having a Mason attain all of the Scottish Rite degrees on the same day; it was cheating. He specified a timeline for Masons to fully comprehend the teachings of the Scottish Rite. The degrees were to be savored and not rushed through like an assembly line. The theatrical interpretation of a degree was to support the ritual, not replace it. One day to Masonry may be the perfect antithesis of all of Pike’s teachings. I doubt that he intended for men to find a short cut. With a greater understanding that Pike despised the melodramatic staging of each degree, one might see the irony when the Albert Pike Cathedral with a theatre stage for degree work was built just five years after Pike’s death. It just goes to show how appealing degree productions were and how quickly an institutional memory can be erased.

The Valley of Little Rock contracted M. C. Lilley & Co. to plan and construct a theater stage in 1895. M. C. Lilley subcontracts the painted scenery installation (and likely the rigging) to Sosman & Landis. Moses returned to the studio and supervised the painting of this “special work” in 1896. During the 1890s, membership surged throughout the Southern Jurisdiction and the country continued a westward expansion. Other Scottish Rite Valley’s throughout the western region would follow suit –Wichita, Guthrie, McAlester, Salina and others. There were a few keys players in the area that will be discussed tomorrow.

To be continued…

“The Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple: Freemasonry, Architecture and Theatre” is ready for preorder!

 

The book that I have been working on since 2014 is finally ready for preorder! It is to be released May 1, 2018.

Santa Fe’s Scottish Rite Temple, built in 1912, is a historic landmark and the home of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in New Mexico. The building–including its jewel box theater with original scenery collection–and its artifacts, represent a time capsule of Masonic culture and theatrical history. Essays examine the emergence of Freemasonry, key Masonic figures during New Mexico’s territorial period through statehood, and the architectural significance of the iconic pink building and Freemasons’ use of it to the present. Illustrated with contemporary and historical images, the book reveals the theatrical production of Masonic degrees and the production of the magnificent scenic backdrops. Today, many of the country’s Masonic buildings are being repurposed and their collections are being liquidated. Through the heroic efforts of its members, the Santa Fe Scottish Rite Temple has been preserved, remaining under the continued stewardship of the Freemasons, who share their building with the community.

The photographs by Jo Whaley of the Masonic scenery and building are absolutely breathtaking.  During November 2016, Jo and I staged all of the degree productions with the 1912 scenery.  The painted drops were produced by Sosman & Landis Studio of Chicago, under the direction of Thomas G. Moses. Jo’s photographs provide a colorful glimpse into what Scottish Rite members would have experienced during the early twentieth century.

Here is the Amazon link:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0890136335/ref=s9_acsd_newrz_hd_bw_bZx_c_x_3_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-6&pf_rd_r=PY85K0WD4MWTV7R68S33&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=7571211b-6c03-5664-ab77-5567dd65558d&pf_rd_i=2229

 

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Acquiring The Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center, part 7.

While Wendy Waszut-Barrett is traveling for research and art acquisitions (October 14-29, 2017) she is reposting the first fifteen installments from “Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar Acquiring: The Fort Scott Scottish Rite Scenery for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center.” Here is her seventh post from February 21, 2017.

Part 7: Arriving in Fort Scott

 On November 1, 2015, I drove into the parking lot of the Fort Scott Sleep Inn & Suites. This would be my home for the next three weeks. After unloading all of my supplies and setting up the suite as my out-of-town office, I contacted the local Scottish Rite representative. He welcomed me to town and offered to take me out for dinner at a local restaurant. He and his wife picked my up at 6:00 PM and we headed to a local bar and restaurant called Sharky’s. By the end of my stay in Fort Scott, I would have sampled everything offered on the Sharky’s menu.

Sharky’s in Fort Scott, Kansas.
“A plate full of fried miniature deliciousness” describing the Mini Tacos & Burritos on the Sharky’s menu in Fort Scott, Kansas. This would make me chuckle every time that I read it in the evening.

I learned that John’s wife was the current mayor of the town, and they both were intellectuals. The couple had heavily invested in Fort Scott over the years, not only at the Scottish Rite, but also in the downtown area where there were continued attempts at revitalization. They had recently purchased a local storefront on Main Street and had high hopes for an upward swing in business, also being part owners in the Sleep Inn & Suites.

I was invited to a variety of upcoming social events, but had to respectfully decline – noting that I would have my hands full with supervising the scenery removal.

They also wanted to share a recent situation that had occurred in the Scottish Rite Theatre concerning a local resident who had lived in the building for a while. I was being told this tale as I might notice some things that appeared odd since my last visit – like a couch that had been placed in the balcony area. There were two reasons for sharing this story, the first was to suggest that the scenery might have been handled during the lodger’s stay. The second reason to share the story was my safety and the safety of my crew. Although I was assured that they were in possession of all building keys, I was to keep an eye out for uninvited visitors. If anyone was to enter the space not associated with the Scottish Rite, I was to contact John right away. This caused me some uneasiness about our upcoming working environment and what we were walking into as there might be more going on, such as a hostile undercurrent resulting from the sale of the scenery.

I was representing a business with millions of dollars at our disposal taking one of the last things of value from this small town. During our August visit, the CEO had made clear that Minnesota Masonic Charities’ had deep pockets to fund this endeavor; they could write a check for any amount to both purchase and restore the collection.

Fort Scott was an economically depressed community with a median income of $18,000-$24,000 per year, and the pride of the community was at stake. This had once been a booming town of industry and there were reminders everywhere of their thriving past. It could become a difficult project if we were not fully welcomed by the local citizens. It was a small enough town to realize that everyone knew what was going on in the community and all of the new projects– especially our initial offer to purchase the entire scenery collection for $2,500.

The mayor asked if I would be amenable to a newspaper interview. We discussed how this entire endeavor must remain a positive and noble effort to preserve the material heritage of both Fort Scott and the Fraternity. Not a large business swooping in to gut the town.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 201 – Henry C. Tryon at the Pork House

The converted “Pork House” for the Indianapolis Scottish Rite. 

A description of the Indianapolis Scottish Rite building was published in the Salt Lake City Herald on August 17, 1883 (page 1). The scenery, stage machinery and effects were traced back to Scottish Rite member. Henry C. Tryon. Consistories from neighboring states attended the dedication ceremony to examine his skills. These grand opening events were great exposure for degree productions, drawing members from across the country and providing glimpses into the potential of Scottish Rite degree work.

Excitement continued to spread for Masonic theaters. These Masonic events caused word to spread fast among Scottish Rite Valleys in the United States. Elaborate stage mechanisms and ornate auditoriums were described in detail. Scottish Rite Valleys sought the best theatrical manufacturers available and went far beyond local options. What I find fascinating is that many articles highlight the scenic artist or studio and not always the architects.

The public’s praise of Tryon was a selling feature for the entire endeavor. He was noted as “a man of unquestioned artistic genius, and endowed with all that is necessary to success in the highest art walks.” Tryon’s popularity would truly be an asset at the Sosman & Landis Studio. No wonder why the hired him by 1884!

Here is one of the articles about the Indiana Consistory that I discovered a few weeks ago. I was thrilled with the amount of detail provided about the stage and auditorium spaces.

Indiana Consistory, Thirty-second Degree, S.P.R.S.

“We have been favored with a detailed description of the new home of the Scottish Rite bodies in Indiana, which will soon be dedicated to its Masonic uses, upon which occasion all consistories from adjoining States will participate. This will probably be the largest and grandest gathering of Thirty-second degree Masons ever convened in the United States. Of the members of Raper Commandery [York Rite] now on their tour to the triennial conclave at San Francisco all but four are Thirty-second Degree Masons and members of Indiana Consistory, S.P.R.S., and consequently are filled with enthusiasm at the approaching important Masonic event.

Event discussed in the newspaper article about the Indianapolis Scottish Rite. Image from the photo galleries of St. Bernard Commandery No. 35. Here is the link to their website as it full of fun images and very well done: http://www.chicagoyorkrite.org/commandery/CommanderyPhotoGalleries1870.html
Event discussed in the newspaper article about the Indianapolis Scottish Rite. Image from the photo galleries of St. Bernard Commandery No. 35. Here is the link to their website as it full of fun images and very well done: http://www.chicagoyorkrite.org/commandery/CommanderyPhotoGalleries1870.html

The building measures 66×80 feet and each of its six stories is built especially for, and will be used exclusively by Indiana Consistory. The main audience room is built like a theatre, with this exception, that the stage is elevated but two or three feet from the floor with steps leading to it. The floor and the stage will be used simultaneously for the working of the degrees while the visiting members occupy the circles or galleries above. The auditorium measures 66×69 feet with a height of 35 feet. The proscenium opening is 23 feet by 22 feet and the height from stage to “rigging loft” is sufficient to carry the drops entirely out of sight. As these “drops” are 26 feet high, it can readily be seen that the height is as great as is needed in even the largest theatres. Besides the principle room just spoken of, is another of less dimensions and with a smaller stage. The banquet and reception rooms are arranged with folding doors, in such a manner that all can be removed so that the entire width and depth of the building in this story can be made one grand room. The balance of the building and every possible out of the way corner is filled with mechanical contrivances necessary.

Each of the two stages is equipped with scenery, the subjects being the grandest and the most charming and beautiful possible. It is all purely artwork. Mr. Henry C. Tryon, the scenic artist of the Salt Lake Theatre, who is a member of this consistory, has been engaged to paint the scenery and to direct the construction and arrangement of the theatrical appliances. The members of Raper Commandery were therefore naturally eager to meet Mr. Tryon, who has not been in Indianapolis since he did similar work for their present building several years ago – and a genuine “love feast” was the result of the meeting.

From the foregoing brief description one can also readily understand the magnitude, grandeur and expense of the undertaking, and can also readily understand the satisfaction which the members of the consistory feel at having secured the services of so capable an artist as Mr. Henry C. Tryon. We cannot resist the temptation of “hitting” Mr. Tryon another blow. Of course, his reputation is as enviable in Indianapolis as it is here; but here we have the benefit of the artist’s greater experience, longer study and maturely developed talent, and naturally has given evidence of that more matured artistic feeling. Here he is recognized as being a man of unquestioned artistic genius, and endowed with all that is necessary to success in the highest art walks. He is also a man of a great deal more than average intelligence, is well read and is possessed of that peculiar temperament and tact, which, turned in any direction, would ensure him marked for success. But he possesses the artist’s soul, and in painting subjects of such human interest as those to be dealt with at the fitting up of this consistory, his highest sentiment must have the fullest play and produce the most delightful results. The subject is equal to the man; the man adequate to every demand of the subject. The consistory and Mr. Tryon may shake and exchange mutual congratulations.”

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 200 – The Scottish Rite’s Welcome to the New Age

Part 200: Welcome to the New Age
 
“I’m waking up,
I feel it in my bones
(enough) to make my systems blow
Welcome to the new age, to the new age
Welcome to the new age, to the new age”
 
My mind keeps playing “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons every time I think of when Scottish Rite degree work was first staged. It established a new expectation and standard for the Fraternity during the mid-nineteenth century. I also think of the Merriam-Webster definition of Radioactive – “having or producing a powerful and dangerous form of energy (called radiation).” Albert Pike probably viewed the theatrical staging of degree works in the Northern Jurisdiction as radioactive.
 
By 1904, the Scottish Rite would even publish “New Age Magazine,” a publication that would later morph into Scottish Rite Journal. However, today’s publication is a far cry from the original “The New Age Magazine.” The excitement and vibrancy of the Scottish Rite early-nineteenth-century membership was apparent throughout the articles. Topics included the history of freemasonry, interpretations of early fraternal documents, the opening of new Masonic buildings, notable individuals, poetry and other artistic, historical or interesting topics and events. The first year included an in-depth examination of the Albert Pike Consistory in Little Rock, Arkansas. It was written by Charles Rosenbaum and signaled a rallying cry for degree productions in the Southern Jurisdiction.
Remember that at this time degree work had been theatrically interpreted in one form or another for quite a while in the Northern Jurisdiction – at least 40 years. Scottish Rite Bodies in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction had renovated many spaces to include elaborate theater stages. The purchase of regalia, scenery and other properties necessitated the organization to seek extensive funding from an anticipated and an ever-increasing membership base.
 
In 1863, seven Masons met in Indianapolis, elected another sixteen petitioners to receive the degrees, and established an initiation fee of $50. They met in a rented space for $300 a year where Killian Van Rensselaer attended some of the meetings. By 1864, 45 men had received their 14th degree in the Adoniram Lodge of Perfection. In 1867, the Lodge appointed a committee to secure “larger and more suitable” rooms for their meetings and degree work.
Rental space for the Scottish Rite Bodies in Indianapolis before their purchase of the old pork house.
There were more than 400 members by 1881. Their second rental space included a 40×36 feet main hall with a height of 29 feet. A gallery was constructed on all three sides of this and a subscription campaign was initiated to raise $2000 to cover the expenses. Placing a gallery on three sides would certainly accommodate more members and provide a space for the audience during other performances conducted by the Scottish Rite Dramatic Association (founded in 1878). In 1882, a new venue for the Scottish Rite was sought and an existing building selected. The Indianapolis Scottish Rite “Special Committee on Buildings” favored the Townsley and Wiggins “Pork House.” Yes, a slaughterhouse and processing plant for pork.
The converted pork house for the Indianapolis Scottish Rite.
Photo of the charred remains. Indianapolis Scottish Rite – converted pork house.
 
To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 199 – Henry C. Tryon and the Indiana Scottish Rite Consistory

While looking for other Salt Lake City newspaper articles about Henry C. Tryon I uncovered one about the Indiana Consistory. Tryon was not only a Scottish Rite member in Indianapolis, but also responsible for some of their earliest scenery. I could barely hold my excitement as I read through the article in its entirety. This was the proverbial smoking gun, a particular bit of evidence that I had been searching for since the mid-1990s.

Article that I discovered, linkingHenry C. Tryon with the Indianapolis Scottish Rite, 1883.
Exterior of the Indianapolis Scottish Rite described in the article and pictured in my dissertation.

For years, I sought to establish any concrete connection between the initial construction of scenery produced for degree productions in Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Chicago. You see, there was a wave of “new and improved” Scottish Rite theaters that appeared during the early 1880s and here was the final puzzle piece – Indianapolis (Henry C. Tryon), Cincinnati (E.T. Harvey) and Chicago (David A. Strong with Sosman & Landis). I finally was able to make the connection between Tryon as the scenic artist for the Indianapolis Scottish Rite just before he began at Sosman & Landis Scenic Studio. The connection was that Tryon would begin working for Sosman & Landis in Chicago during 1884 after finishing the scenery for Indianapolis. For me, this was especially significant as Tryon, Sosman and Strong were all Scottish Rite Masons.

In my doctoral dissertation “Scenic Shifts Upon the Scottish Rite Stage: Designing for Masonic Theatre, 1859-1929,” I included a partial history concerning some early Scottish Rite theaters. I argued that the renovated Pork House in Indianapolis marked a significant moment in the evolution of degree productions as Scottish Rite Bodies (Lodge, Council, Chapter and Consistory). In 1883 the Indianapolis Scottish Rite purchased an existing building and converted it to include TWO theaters. While researching and writing my dissertation, I had longed for a detailed description of who designed and painted the scenery for Indianapolis. Now I had it –Tryon!

For those unfamiliar with the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in Indianapolis, here is a brief recap and remember that the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction is always full of change and surprise. The Indiana Consistory was organized in March 1865 and chartered on May 19, 1865.   The four Scottish Rite Bodies in Indianapolis were the Adoniram Lodge of Perfection Saraiah Council of Princes of Jerusalem, Indianapolis Chapter of Rose Croix, and the Indiana Consistory S.P.R.S. In May of 1863, Masons in Indianapolis sought to bring the Ineffable Degrees (Lodge of Perfection, 4th – 14th) to Indianapolis. They petitioned the Boston Supreme Council for dispensation to organize a Lodge of Perfection and Council of Princes of Jerusalem. Now remember that there are rival Supreme Councils (governing body) for the Scottish Rite in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction. I will not go into the basis of the differences at this time, but it is important to understand that if you belonged to one Scottish Rite, you were booted out of the other.

The two opposing parties at the time were the Van Rensselaer Council of Boston and the Raymond Council of New York. Keep in mind that two years after the Indianapolis Consistory is approved as part of the Boston group, the two merge in the Union Council.  By 1867, the two councils ended their separate existences and merged their memberships in a Grand Union on May 17, 1867.

In my dissertation I connected much of the early propagation of Scottish Rite degree productions with Killian Van Rensselaer.

Killian Van Rensselaer (1800-1881).

He reminded me of the proverbial “Johnny Appleseed,” sowing the seeds of Scottish Rite Freemasonry throughout the Northern Jurisdiction. In an Appendix, I listed the Scottish Rite Bodies chartered by Van Rensselaer from 1848 to 1863. They included New Haven, Connecticut (Lodge and Council, 1848), New York City (Lodge, Council, Chapter, 1848), New Port Rhode Island (Lodge and Council 1850), Columbus, Ohio (Lodge and Council, 1851), Pittsburg, Pennsylvania (Lodge and Council, 1852), Cincinnati, Ohio (Lodge, Council, Chapter and Consistory, 1953), Cambridge, Ohio (Lodge and Council, 1856), Chicago, Illinois (Lodge, Council, Chapter and Consistory, 1856), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Lodge, Council, Chapter and Consistory, 1856-1857), Cleveland, Ohio (Lodge, Council and Chapter, 1859), Detroit, Michigan (Lodge, Council, Chapter, and Consistory, 1861-1862), and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (Lodge, Council, Chapter, and Consistory, 1863).

Van Rensselaer’s support of degree productions was quite brilliant and promoted the theatrical interpretation of degrees. He marketed staged degree work as a superior ceremonial experiences – and an incentive to join the Boston group over the Raymond group. Van Rensselaer was instrumental in not only establishing Scottish Rite Bodies and promoting degree productions, but also checking back in on the progress of “his” Scottish Rite Valleys.

It is important to understand his influence on late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century degree productions too. Van Rensselaer brought an overtly Christian interpretation to the 18th degree that would later weed its way into some of the Southern Jurisdiction degree productions. This was the degree that discussed a spiritual redeemer in various religions. Van Rensselaer used Jesus’ life as an example. His Valley’s staged the crucifixion and ascension, initially appearing as scenic tableaux in the east end lodge rooms. Often in roll drop form, they were situated in small recessed areas behind the Master’s chair. It was an inspirational scenic illusion in the degree – if you were Christian. For more information about the staging of this particular degree, I covered it in my dissertation

To be continued…

Historical note: Killian Henry Van Rensselaer (1800-1881) Sovereign Grand Commander of the Supreme Council AASR (NJ), 1862-67, was born on Sept. 9, 1800 in Greenbush (now known as Rensselaer), New York. He was a member of the Knickerbocker family. Van Rensselaer was made a Master Mason in Mount Moriah Lodge No. 245, Otisco, New York on April 4, 1822. He was active in the York Rite and Scottish Rite in several states. He became an Active Member of the Supreme Council in the Northern Jurisdiction (Boston) on June 17, 1845. He resigned as Grand Commander when the “Union” took place in 1867. He attended all but the first meeting of present Supreme Council, New Jersey until his death. He was a member of Cambridge Lodge No. 66, Cambridge, Ohio, serving as Master twice. He died on Jan. 29, 1881.

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 167 – The Gong and Scottish Rite Degree Productions

Chuck Barris, host of the original “Gong Show.”

As I was watching the recent remake of the “Gong Show,” I couldn’t help but think of Scottish Rite degree productions. Over the years, I have repeatedly come across gongs for Masonic stages. Gongs on stage, gongs off stage, gongs in the balcony, a gong switch on a lighting board, and a gong button on an organ console. They all made me chuckle. I now wish that I had a picture of every single sighting. It wasn’t until this spring when I was at the Moline Scottish Rite that I finally decided to take a picture of a beautiful gong in the auditorium balcony. It was positioned near the organ.

The gong at the Moline Scottish Rite. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2017.

What has tickled my funny bone every time is thinking about the fraternal version of the Gong Show.  A gong signaled failure or a poor performance. For me, a gong doesn’t conjure up the exotic or a magical moment. Sadly, I am an unfortunate product of the television age. Thousands of years significance in a gong destroyed by one TV show. This is similar to my Pavlovian response to certain classical songs and operas where Bugs Bunny or another Looney Tunes character pops into my mind. The “Bunny of Seville” is one example.

Scene from the Bugs Bunny cartoon, “Bunny of Seville.”

In fraternal theaters, I always envision the sound of a gong and then an imaginary hook reaching from the wings toward another amateur actor who utterly failed in his performance. The neon sign at the Santa Fe Scottish Rite that signals “Louder Slower” to the degree performers supports this scenario.

Neon sign at the Santa Fe Scottish Rite signaling actors to deliver their lines louder and slower.

Gongs have been around since 2000 BC, though many historians think that they have been around for far longer. Mystical traditions grew up around the glorious bass notes of gongs in the eastern world. The gong was slow to gain popularity in Europe and its first recorded use in western orchestral music was by Gossec in his funeral March for Mirabeau in 1791. Its use increased on the stage during the early nineteenth century. Many sought out the exotic instrument and gongs appeared in a variety of stage productions and in the music rooms of private residences. As with visual spectacle, that rolling sound transported generations of Masons to the foreign lands of degree productions.

But it wasn’t until I recently read the “Naiad Queen” script that I started to think about the significance of this particular sound, especially how it’s meaning has altered for some individuals in recent decades like myself. During the nineteenth century, a gong signaled the transformation scene. It announced a magical, or significant, moment on the stage, not just an exotic character. After the gong strikes twelve in “The Black Crook,” Hertzog is thrown into a flaming pit surrounded by howling and dancing demons.

It was the idea of a gong signaling a transition, or a transformation on stage, however, that really stuck in my mind. In “Trial by Jury,” Gilbert specified a gong to be struck, signaling the work’s concluding of a transformation scene parody. Carolyn Williams in “Gilbert Sullivan: Gender, Genre, and Parody” suggests that the allusion was a familiar one to audiences in 1875. This was the same time that degree productions started to gain popularity throughout the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction.

I thought back to the script for the three-act opera version of “The Naiad Queen; or the Revolt of the Naiads, a Romantic Operatic Spectacle in Three Acts” written by J. S. Dalrymple, Esq. Here is the link: babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.$b249955;view=1up;seq=34  The script notes the use of a gong to signal a transformation scene. The production was first performed at the Adelphi Theatre in London, with the American premiere at Burton’s Theatre (Philadelphia) during 1840. I was fascinated with the stage description.

The gong is sounded during the fifth scene of the third act. The setting opens to “A Romantic View of the Rhine” with two processionals entering the stage to form a tableau. The first processional was the Demon March. Amphibeo and demons of the Rhine march onstage, complete with conch shells and banners. The music then changes for the entrance of another processional. The Naiad Queen and Amazon warriors appear in full armor to complete the picture. Here is the stage direction after the tableau is set: “Music. Gong. The scene changes magically to fountains of real water; Naiads and Water Spirits mingle above and around, and the ethereal blue, emitted through a strong light, is thrown upon the picture.” Once again, I wished that I could travel through time to witness this spectacle in person. These extravaganzas of visual delight transported audiences to exotic and magical worlds. For many, a theatrical metamorphosis on stage seemed to defy reality.

Degree productions also incorporated the gong into their staging, once again emulating an effect popularized on the commercial stage. It was just one more example of how Masonic theatres remain living time capsules. Scottish Rite Freemasons are more than just caretakers of painted scenery collections, old costumes, ancient lighting systems and worn stage properties. They are stewards of theatre history and long-forgotten stage effects, all part of a shared cultural heritage.

Tableaux and transformation scenes appear in many Scottish Rite degree productions, but one always stands out in my mind. That is the transformation scene for the 17th degree. The stage setting includes a volcanic eruption, flowing rivers of lava, and classical buildings that collapse on stage. In this scene there is the breaking of the seven seals with gong sounding each one.

To be continued…

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 112 – Documenting the Fort Scott Scottish Rite

There are some things that are not considered “picture worthy.” I think it simply depends on who is taking the photo. A close friend of mine took a picture of the boiler in the basement of a Scottish Rite and it is a haunting image. She captured the rust and decay that had settled in over the decades and the image is a work of art.

Fort Scott Scottish Rite elevator. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2015.

I took a photograph of the old elevator at the Fort Scott Scottish Rite. It might not be considered art, but it to recorded a detail from this deceased Scottish Rite facility. The new building owners might not save this aged machine as current safety regulations could prohibit its continued use. I both loved and feared that elevator, becoming intimately familiar with it as I transported supplies up to the second floor theatre. The entire crew knew exactly how fast it could ascend to the second floor. After pushing the button, we could race up the thirty-seven-step curved staircase and arrive before the doors would even open. It was extremely slow and every trip became a gamble. Every time the door closed I wondered if we would get stuck between floors. As in McAlester, the metal gate had to be completely shut before the contraption would move and inch. Regardless of my fears, there was something nostalgic about that elevator. I was transported back in time whenever the door shut and the motor began to whirr, jarring the elevator into motion.

Stairs leads from Fort Scott Scottish Rite to second floor theater. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2015.

The entire building was a treasure trove of memories, filled with forgotten bits and pieces from the past. When I arrived on site during November 2015, the stage area was quite unkempt. The building had been vacant for over a year and there were piles of unwanted items scattered throughout the building.

Piles of unwanted items left behind after the Fort Scott Scottish Rite 2014 auction. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2015.
Piles of trash scattered in stage left area of stage at the Fort Scott Scottish Rite. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2015.

These were all remnants from the previous year’s auction that liquidated almost all of the building’s contents. However, this rubbish did not detract from the former beauty of the stage and shadows of its former glory were still apparent. I could look beyond the grime, imagining the space with new wooden arbors and the shiny cable.

Stage right side of the stage and arbor cage filled with weights. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2015.
Fort Scott Scottish Rite arbor cage with weights. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2015.

As I glanced at old stage equipment, it was difficult not to imagine standing under brand new scenery and border lights; the smell of fresh mortar, the scent of cut wood, and the acrid tang from new metal filling the space. An historic stage fills me with a yearning to experience the era of its creation.

As the weights were pulled from each arbor to remove a drop from the corresponding line, I was reminded of skeletal remains in a crypt. This rigging system had once been something quite special; effortlessly raising or lowering painted settings at a moments notice. The stage machinery had transformed the stage and once transported generations of men to far away lands. Now that the scenery was gone, leaving the counterweight system useless and out of date. It would eventually become disposed of as scrap metal.

Arbor cages devoid of weights at the Fort Scott Scottish Rite. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2015.
Empty arbor cages in Fort Scott, Kansas, at the Scottish Rite theater. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2015.
Cut cable and empty arbor cages after removing the scenery collection at the Fort Scott Scottish Rite for the Minnesota Masonic Heritage Center. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2015.

Perhaps that is why both Rick Boychuk and I salvaged complete rigging sets from the Fort Scott theater. Not as simple souvenirs or personal mementos, but to save a theatrical landmark in the evolution of stage design and machinery. The intricacy of an arbor could provoke a conversation so this technology could be remembered in the future.

It is now difficult for me to separate the painted scenery from the rigging as they are both so entwined in my mind, two halves of a whole. For me, the landscape above the stage is almost as exciting as those painted scenes below.

To be continued…

Here is a link to Rick Boychuk’s work http://www.counterweightrigging.com/

Tales from a Scenic Artist and Scholar. Part 111 – Documenting the Fort Scott Scottish Rite, 2015

There was a service staircase in Fort Scott that ascended to the space above the auditorium ceiling. We accessed it through a door at the end of the arbor rail that led to a steep metal staircase.

The arbor rail at the Fort Scott Scottish Rite. The door leads to the service stairs that ascend to the space above the auditorium ceiling. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2015.

Before ascending the steps, I looked up to my left and marveled at the square plates of alabaster stained glass. These were some of the decorative elements on the sidewalls of the auditorium. When illuminated, they provided a warm glow to an otherwise dark room.

View from backside of decorative stained glass panels at the Fort Scott Scottish Rite. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2015.
View from the front of the decorative stained glass in the For Scott Scottish Rite Auditorium. Behind this wall is where the service stairs to the space above the auditorium ceiling are located. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2015.

Climbing up the narrow staircase, we first explored the areas high above the proscenium arch and ceiling medallions. Our first trip was to identify possible access points to the wooden grid above the stage. Our last trip was attempting to access the neighboring Western Insurance Company roof as we had noticed a tree growing up there. Every day during our break, we had marveled the young sapling and wanted to see how it had taken root.

View from Fort Scott sidewalk at tree growing on top of Western Insurance Company roof, the building connected to the Fort Scott Scottish Rite. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2015.

Typically, the spaces above an auditorium and stage hold a plethora of interesting artifacts left behind by the original workmen. You never know what is hidden beneath layers of dust and chunks of plaster. In addition to abandoned artifacts left during construction, maintenance men, stage crews, and office staff also stashed many unwanted items in these storage areas. For me, the discoveries found high above the theater often rival those from the stage floor.

Above the Fort Scott Scottish Rite auditorium ceiling looking toward windows on the front of the building. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2015.
Above the Fort Scott Scottish Rite auditorium ceiling looking at trash left between walkways. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2015.
Above the Fort Scott Scottish Rite auditorium ceiling looking toward door leading to service stairs. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2015.

We explored a room directly above the proscenium that held the organs pipes and other musical innards that were noted as a “patented universal air chest system” by Austin Organ Company. In the auditorium, there was a traditional style organ console with roll top. The Valley of Fort Scott had purchased this organ with three manuals and thirty-six ranks for $15,000 in 1924.

1924 Fort Scott Scottish Rite pipe organ console by the Austin Organ Company. Photograph located online.
1924 Fort Scott Scottish Rite pipe organ console by the Austin Organ Company. Photograph located online.

By 2007, a newspaper article estimated the current value at two million dollars. I was amazed by its pristine condition and beautiful woodwork.

Logo for the Austin Organ Company – a compass and lute similar to the Masonic Square and Compass. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2015.

The label for the Austin Organ Company of Hartford, Connecticut was especially intriguing as it placed a lute and compass in a similar arrangement as a Masonic square and compass. A banner over this image included the company’s motto, “Scientia, Artem, Adjuvat,” or “Science Aids Art.” Was Austin a Mason? Various articles note that this motto was not just a clever marketing scheme, but a way of life for the founder and his employees. Many of the machines that manufactured organ parts were kept on site so that the production, maintenance, and repair of every model could happen immediately. One example is the famous “seven-headed monster” kept in a front room of the manufacturing plant that produced pedal and stop-action blocks.

The story of the company and John T. Austin, is quite remarkable. As a new immigrant to America, Austin had worked for a variety of organ manufacturers and rapidly worked his way up their ranks with his skill and ingenuity. He actually developed a new type of windchest (he called it an air chest) where you could simply walk right into it and service the complete mechanism. This is what we found in Fort Scott as each of us went inside to examine the organ’s components. Inside the air chest was the motor for the bellows and an electric generator. By the mid-1920s, the Austin Organ company was producing over eighty new pipe organs annually. In 1924, one of these eighty organs became destined for Fort Scott.

Inside the Austin Organ Co. Air Chest, high above the Fort Scott Scottish Rite Auditorium. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2015.
Inside the Austin Organ Co. Air Chest, high above the Fort Scott Scottish Rite Auditorium. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2015.

The company’s high level of productivity continued until the crash of 1929 when it was hit hard by the economic downturn. By 1937 Austin Organ Co. underwent reorganization and moved to a new facility. Interestingly, their largest on most elaborate model, the Opus 558, would be the company’s first five-manual instrument specifically designed for another Masonic Theater – the Medinah Temple in Chicago.

Company records list that 72 organs were installed in Masonic Lodges across the country. An additional 113 organs were installed in theaters and the list goes on from there. Their client venues included open-air theaters, auditoriums, churches, hotel, stores residence, insurance buildings. I don’t know what category included Scottish Rite performance spaces – auditorium, theater or Masonic Temple? Here is a lovely link for those interested in the history of the Austin Organ Company: https://www.thediapason.com/cover-feature-austin-organs-mil…

A major aspect of many Scottish Rite degree productions is organ music with choral accompaniment. First-class organs were installed in most Scottish Rite theaters and Masonic lodge rooms across the country. Many of these instruments are still revered by national music organizations that plan concerts in these performance venues. Like churches, Scottish Rite auditoriums host organ concerts that draw people in from all over the world.

The Organ Historical Society lists 58 pipe organs at Scottish Rite theaters in its pipe organ database. It also lists 466 pipe organs in Masonic Lodges across the country. Obviously, not every organ in a Masonic building has been included in their database. Unfortunately, there are very few pictures to accompany the database’s technical specifications. If you are a Mason and have a pipe organ in your building, you might want to consider uploading a picture into their database. Here is the link: http://www.organsociety.org/

Partial floor behind the pipes for the Austin Organ and Air Chest area. The ceiling medallions provided a view down to the Fort Scott Scottish Rite auditorium floor. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2015.

Behind the organ pipe room at Fort Scott was a partial floor. Standing on ceiling beam, one could see thru the ceiling medallions and down to the auditorium floor.

Top view of one of the Fort Scott Scottish Rote auditorium ceiling medallions. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2015.

Nearby was a heavy metal door that was barred shut. Why was it barred? Curious minds needed to know, so my crew muscled it open. Standing high above the stage floor we had a picturesque view of the top wooden battens on drops suspended high above the stage. One of my crew determined that this was where the organ installers brought up the pipes and air chest from the stage floor. This was also how the organ could be removed and transported to another location.

Access door above Fort Scott Scottish Rite stage where components for the Austin organ were raised and installed above the proscenium arch. Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2015.
Onsite view of the top wooden battens and the Fort Scott Scottish Rite scenery collection from the pipe organ access door (above the proscenium arch). Photograph by Wendy Waszut-Barrett, 2015.

To be continued…