Copyright © 2020 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
The Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, opened in 1879. Over the next two decades, wing and shutter scenery for the stage was repeatedly purchased, refurbished and repainted. The venue was later renamed the Elks Opera House when the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (B.P.O.E.) purchased the building in 1901. Immediately after the purchase, the building was renovated, and a new stock scenery collection purchased. Part of the stage renovation included adding a fly loft, so that new scenery could be raised out of sight. Previously, the Tabor Opera House used wings, shutters, roll drops and borders. This scenery was tucked away in storage after the renovation where it waited for over a century.
I lead a group of local volunteers to document both the scenery on the stage floor and that stored in the attic. On the back of one cut wing, was written: “W. J. Moon stage carpenter and H. E. Burpey [sic.] scenic artist, October 6, 1890. This penciled note identifying the creators places the eight cut wigs within the timeframe of Tabor Opera House history.
William J. Moon was a local resident, associated with the opera house for decades. Henry E. Burky was an itinerant scenic artist who began his career in Chicago and was working in Denver by 1884. “Harry Miner’s Dramatic Directory” for the 1884-1885 season listed “Burckey, Tabor Opera, Denver” as the scenic artist for the Tabor Opera House in Leadville; he was working for both of Tabor’s theaters. Burcky was still associated with the Tabor Opera House five years later.
On August 24, 1890, the “Herald Democrat” included an article on the new scenery painted by Henry E. Burcky for the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado (age 5). The article reported, “Mr. Burkey, the efficient scenic artist from the Tabor Grand, Denver, is at present in Leadville, and at work on some new scenery for the Tabor in this city. There will be several new sets, particularly some much needed interior scenery. One set has been completed already and is very handsome” (page 5).
On September 3, 1890, the “Herald Democrat” included an article on the new scenery painted by Henry E. Burcky for the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado (page 5): “Mr. Berkey, the scenic artist from the Tabor Grand, Denver, is getting along very well with the new scenery he is painting at the local theater. He has already completed three interiors, which are a decided improvement to the scenic portion of the theater. Mr. Berkey is a first-class scenic artist and does some decidedly commendable work.”
After completing the scenery project in Leadville, the “Herald Democrat” reported his departure for Denver on October 16, 1890, noting “Mr. H. E. Burcky left last evening for Denver.” In addition to the tropical-themed cut wings, I suspect one of Burcky’s double-painted interior settings remain. When he painted the three new settings noted in the newspaper, he likely repainted existing composition. When nineteenth-century scenery was repainted, it was simply scrubbed down with water and then repainted. In the case of the Burcky’s double-painted wings, the underlaying composition became a template. There was no need to scrub down and redraw and interior setting for each piece. Keep in mind that this would have been tricky, as the underlying colors would immediately lift. Scenery painted with dry pigment and diluted hide glue reactivates when it comes in contact with liquid.
Burcky’s interior set consists of wings that slide in grooves, as well as two shutters that formed a back wall. The back wall had an opening for double door in the center. What is interesting, however, is that only the shutters use flat sheaves (wheels). A pair of flat sheaves was secured to the bottom of each shutter for easy movement. Unfortunately, one of the shutters was so badly damaged that it was not lowered to the stage floor and thoroughly documented. This piece and its companion remain in the Tabor attic, until they can be repaired and safely lowered to the stage floor.
The double-painted wings do not have flat sheaves on the bottom. They were shifted during scene changes without the benefit of wheels, indicating that the wings slid in wooden floor grooves. Sets of grooves were placed above and below the unit to stabilize each unit for the interior setting.Not all of the interior setting remains, as part was disassembled to create a massive barn setting during the late nineteenth-century. Painted remnants littered the attic, a testament to the original scope of Burcky’s project. I am in the process of slowly fitting these pieces back together.
