Information about historic theaters, scenic art and stage machinery. Copyright © 2026 by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett, PhD
Here is a lovely article written by Carolyn Paletta for the Vail Daily newspaper:
It is another fantastic article about the Tabor Opera House scenery and the venue’s sole full-time employee, Tammy Taber! Tammy’s institutional memory of the building is astounding, as she began working under the leadership of Evelyn Furman. To me, she is not only the heart and soul of the building, but also a dear friend.
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
It has been a while since my last post.
I took a pause after spraining both wrists on May 1, 2021. It has been a long recovery, and if I could just sit still, they would probably heal faster. I wish that there was a wonderful tale to tell, but I simply tripped and fell in my driveway. Yes, I was going too fast and was preoccupied at the time. No, the injury has not slowed me down. However, the accident greatly limited my ability use the track pad on my laptop or move the mouse for my computer. Typing was also challenge.
Fortunately, this injury occurred after submitting my 1300-page report to the Tabor Opera House Preservation Foundation, detailing the historic scenery and stage machinery at the venue. In the end, I divided the scenic artifacts into fourteen distinct theater collections, compiling conditions reports, replacement appraisals and an historical analysis of each piece. Some of the collections were founded on scenic artists, some on stage hardware, and others on textile manufacturers. This document far surpassed my doctoral dissertation, which says a lot. There were too many moving parts, too many pieces to juggle, cross-reference and illustrate. And yet, I continued to write my daily blog about the life and times of scenic artist and studio owner, Thomas G. Moses (1856-1934), entitled “Tales of a Scenic Artists and Scholar.”
In hindsight, my sprained wrists gave me permission to take a break from my blog and solely focus on a few major projects and my family. After all, since the fall of 2016, I had dutifully posted daily about historic scenic art, theatres, and theatre technicians. Then work started pouring in this spring as COVID-19 restrictions were lifted; everyone resumed projects that were placed on hold in 2020. Feast or famine.
As several of my projects received a green light, I began traveling again. In July, I headed to Colorado with one of my historic rigging advisors, Michael Powers. Our Colorado stops included Trinidad, Leadville, and Aspen.
The Leadville stop was to meet New York Times reporter Elisabeth Vincentelli, and photographer Benjamin Rasmussen. At the time, I couldn’t explain why I was staying in Leadville. While on site, however, I took the opportunity to further examine the historic wings and shutters still trapped above the attic loft.
Happily, the New York Times article was published yesterday! Here is Vincentelli’s article about this amazing venue and historic scenery collection:https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/11/arts/music/opera-sets-leadville.html?referringSource=articleShare&fbclid=IwAR3AZ3hM6B2k35j3G2gGZDFwhplGGhmS_TU_M6ZbkW9CBKF_NEuRnwEoFvc
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett
I spent yesterday afternoon in Aspen, 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, 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.
To be continued…
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett, PhD
There is still an astounding amount of historic scenery tucked away at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado. When the building was renovated in 1902, the stage was enlarged, and all of the original wings and shutters (c. 1879-1900) were placed above the auditorium. This space is now considered the 3 ½ floor, seventy-steps above street level. Last September, I led a crew of volunteers to remove the scenery from the attic space to the stage floor. Here is a link to a previous post: https://drypigment.net2020/09/23/travels-of-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-day-2-at-the-tabor-opera-house-september-22-2020/
The 3 ½ floor, now referred to as the attic, once consisted of several hotel rooms. Over the decades, the walls dividing each room were removed and the enlarged space became home to abandoned artifacts. Stage artifacts included wings, shutters, and painted profiles.
I returned to the attic yesterday, fully prepared with my N95 mask and work gloves. My focus was on the scenery above the rafters. There are several shutters and wings trapped in a web of ceiling joists and electrical wires. I needed to ascertain what was left to plan their removal and cataloguing.
Here are a few pictures of what I discovered yesterday; the many hidden treasures, with much concealed under a layer of soot.
To be continued…
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett, PhD
The Fox West Theatre came onto my radar in February 2020. While cataloguing the scenery at the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, I was contacted by Gregory Friesen, owner of CSNA Architects. He is involved with the Fox West Renovation in Trinidad, Colorado. Friesen drove up to Leadville and took me out to dinner at one night after work. He shared the scope of this massive renovation project.
The Fox West Theatre opened in 1908 with a full stock of scenery delivered by the Kansas City Scenic Co. This certainly piqued my interest. Although much of the historic scenery at the Fox West remains rolled up and tucked away on a paint bridge, there is a beautifully olio drop still hanging. It is a lovely example of early twentieth century scenic art.
The Kansas City Scenic Co. was the same firm that delivered scenery to the Tabor Opera House in 1902, subcontracting a portion of their work to Sosman & Landis. Over the past year, I have traced the history of the Kansas City Scenic Co. and assembled a database with various installations delivered by the firm between 1887 and 1912.
While planning my trip to Leadville this month, I decided to stop in Trinidad instead of Denver. Spending a night at 6,000+ feet really helps adjusting to the much higher altitude in Leadville. In Trinidad, I was accompanied by my rigging consultant Michael Powers. We toured the Fox West Theater yesterday, exploring all of the nooks and crannies in this stunning building. It is an absolute delight to participate in ongoing discussions about the stage, scenery and decor. This is such a special place, and the team guiding the renovation has certainly done their research. The history page is extremely well written and the team’s passion for the venue is extremely contagious.
Here are a few photographs from our adventure yesterday. For more information about the history of the venue and the upcoming 2021 telethon on September 26, visit https://www.foxwesttheatre.com/
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
For the past year, I have slowly plugged along on the Tabor Opera House scenery project. In addition to two site visits, I tracked down a massive amount of information pertaining to the individuals and scenic studios that produced scenery for the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Colorado, and the Tabor Grand Opera House in Denver, Colorado. Both were built by silver magnate Horace Tabor in 1879 and 1881, respectively. The story of the Tabor Opera House is intertwined with the success of a boom town, a passionate love triangle, and the establishment of the Silver Circuit. Tabor and his opera houses have repeatedly been the topic for both fictional and non-fictional accounts, even inspiring the 1932 movie “Silver Dollar.” Tabor’s second wife was the famed beauty featured in the 1958 opera by Douglas Moore and John Latouche, “The Ballad of Baby Doe”(http://usopera.com/operas/ballad.html).
The Tabor Opera House in Leadville was planned by someone who did not understand theatre architecture nor the basic logistics. Horace Tabor was simply a patron of the arts with money to burn. Although his opera house opened in November 1879, the auditorium and stage were renovated by August 1882; the acoustics and stage machinery were an abysmal failure. There were more structural changes for the building two decades later when the building was purchased by Leadville’s Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (B.P.O.E.). Tabor lost his fortune in the early 1890s, and the building changed hands before the Elks purchased it in 1901.
By the way, the founder of the Elks (actor Charles Vivian) died in Leadville and his funeral was held at the Tabor Opera House.
When the Elks acquired the Tabor Opera House (then known as the Weston Opera House), they completely renovated the auditorium and stage. Part of the renovation included adding a fly loft and purchasing all new scenery from the Kansas City Scenic Co. The Kansas City Scenic Co. subcontracted some of their project to the Sosman & Landis Scene Painting Studio of Chicago. Sosman & Landis delivered at least two of the interior settings and a ceiling panel.
Between 1879 and 1902 new scenery was delivered multiple times as the venue transitioned from a wing-and-shutter scenery to a fly drops, box sets and folding wings. Scenic artists included decorative artist James E. Lamphere (C. A. Treat, Denver), T. Frank Cox (well-known theater architect and founder of Cox Bros. Great Southern Studio, New Orleans) and Henry E. Burcky (well-known scenic artist of Hooley’s Theatre in Chicago and the 1881 Cincinnati Opera Festival).
When the nineteenth-century scenery was replaced with new scenery in 1902, the old scenery was simply stored in the attic. Over the years a few pieces were lowered to the floor, but it was an arduous task to transfer it from the attic to the stage floor, so much remained untouched. Until 2020, much of the scenery remained stacked along one attic wall, patiently waiting under piles of dust and debris.
I was hired in 2020 to document and evaluate the Tabor Opera House scenery collections. My task was to conduct a historical analysis of the collection, evaluate the condition of individual artifacts, provide replacement estimates, and create a collections care management program. At the time, I believed there were about 50 pieces on the stage and about 30 pieces in the attic. I was very, very wrong, and grossly underestimated the amount. I could not never have anticipated the size or scope of the collections. The sheer numbers surprised everyone.
To date, the documented stage artifacts comprise fourteen unique theatre collections, spanning from 1879-1902. There are over 250 individually painted compositions, as many pieces are double-painted. Nineteenth-century scenery once stored in the attic was designed for a wing-and-shutter system. The twentieth-century scenery was designed for a more modern stage with a fly loft. I have never encountered so much scenery delivered to one place, specifically one small opera house in the mountains. Even when the scenery was damaged over the years, it wasn’t discarded. We uncovered dozens of painted scraps and little broken bits, just tucked away, out of sight, out of mind.
I have completed two of three phases, as there are still piles of undocumented scenery scattered throughout the building, stored above attic rafters and elsewhere. The first phase of the project (February 2020) focused on the twentieth-century scenery and the second phase (September 2020) focused on the nineteenth-century scenery in the attic. The third phase will happen sometime this year and include a “rounding up” of the remaining artifacts. They just keep popping up all over the place.
The historical analysis of the fourteen Tabor Opera House collections is 440 pages long. I wrote the text in a conversational format to help communicate information to both the Board of Directors and architects. I included fun facts and stories for moments of levity, sharing the lives and careers of the many individuals involved with the stage from 1879-1902. I wanted these artifacts to personally impact those without a thorough understanding of technical theatre or theatre history. The title of my tome is “A Theatre Time Capsule: Scenic Collections at the Tabor Opera House.” My work places the collections and each artifact within a historical context, both nationally and internationally. This 440-page document does not include the individual conditions reports, replacement appraisals, recommendations or collections care program. That was a whole separate headache. When everything is put together, my work is just shy of 1300 pages. I am dreading making a hard copy of everything next month.
The scope of the collection is the broadest that I have ever encountered, not just in regard to the scenery, but also in regard to stage hardware. Yes, there is water damage, punctures, abrasions, poor repairs, alterations and the like, but much of the scenery is between 119 and 142 years old, so with that in mind, the scenery is in remarkable shape and all salvageable.
I will keep you posted once third final phase is complete.
Please consider making a donation to the Tabor Opera House. Here is alink to their website: https://www.taboroperahouse.net/
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
Scenery by Sosman & Landis for the Elks Opera House (Tabor Opera House) in Leadville, Colorado, 1902. The Sosman & Landis Studio was subcontracted by the Kansas City Scenic Co. for the project.
For more scenes from the Tabor Opera House, visit www.drypigment.net and keyword search “Tabor Opera House.”
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett
On November 17, 1930, Thomas G. Moses was credited with the scenic art for the Scottish Rite Temple in McAlester, Oklahoma. In section entitled “Giant Stage Equipment is Feature of New Temple,” the following was written about Moses’ scenic contribution to the project:
“Outstanding among the features of the new Scottish Rite temple are the size of the big stage provided and its equipment. The scenery will long be remembered by the persons who see it in use. This very important part of the equipment was designed and painted by Thomas G. Moses, representing the Wm. Lemle Studios and the National Theatre Supply company, of Chicago.”
The work was contracted two years earlier, with Moses presenting models to the McAlester Scottish Rite representatives. Although it was Moses who landed the project, the McAlester Scottish Rite contracted the National Theatre Supply Co. for the work. The National Theatre Supply Co. then subcontracted the work to the William Lemle studios, who in turn hired Moses, as was the understanding in the contract.
This project did not go according to plan and in the end the McAlester Scottish Rite Masons refused to pay the full amount owed, citing that some of the pieces of scenery were damaged during shipment, even though Moses repaired each of the damaged pieces cited by the Valley. The drawn-out collection process directly affected Moses. As the official supplier and client bickered about who should file a claim with the railroad for damaged goods, Moses was left in a dire financial situation at the onset of the Great Depression, begging to be paid for his work.
Due to the size of the drops and scope of the project, there were several shipments of scenery in 1929, yet only one was partially damaged. Problems between the theatrical suppliers and McAlester Scottish Rite began well before any damage was cited. The first issues were in the form of delayed payments. On Aug. 2, 1929, Moses wrote directly to the McAlester Scottish Rite Secretary, W. P. Freeman, noting that they had not received the $1,000 July 1st advance payment, although the project was well underway. Freeman explained that the check had been sent, but it never arrived that fall. By Dec. 3, 1929, McAlester was behind two payments, totaling $2,000. This time, P. Lester Landis of the National Theatre Supply Co. wrote a letter to Freeman at the McAlester Scottish Rite, notifying him of the deficiency. The $2,000 was paid two weeks later.
And then there was a damaged shipment from a leaky rail car. The initial letter citing the damage, sent from the McAlester Scottish Rite representatives to the National Supply Co., was purportedly returned as “undeliverable.” This is after continued correspondence for a year. The McAlester Scottish Rite then sent a second letter, this time directly to Moses at William Lemle’s studio. Moses immediately responded on Nov. 12, 1929, writing, “We called the representative of the C & E I, who took the shipment, and he assured us that he would communicate immediately with the representative in Tulsa, and that he would come to McAlester, where you can show him the damaged pieces. If this is possible, and I trust it is, and he in turn will notify us and I am sure we can establish the cost of repairing. This of course, will not be done until I come to McAlester next summer, to touch up and match the pieces which you found un-painted…it is almost impossible to do this work without being set up on the stage, which is the same reason some of them were not finished. So whatever damage there has been done to the drops or set pieces in this shipment, will be taken care of at that time, so please do not worry about it.”
Keep in mind that many final touches to scenery occurred after stage machinery was added to each drop for various scenic effects.
Moses also explained, “As long as you have the drops in a dry place that is all that is necessary. I have never known one of the shipments to go out that did not require more or less touching-up when they were installed.”
I personally think that the damage occurred somewhere between the railway depot and the temple, not necessarily in transit from Illinois to Oklahoma. All it would take is a rainstorm with a work crew who decided to transport the scenery from the depot to the temple regardless of the weather conditions.
In the meantime, Moses completed the McAlester Scottish Rite scenery and repaired all of the damaged goods. It was not until Nov. 30, 1930, that the damage and completed work, however, was inspected by Louis “Lou” E. Lounsbery. After his visit, the McAlester Scottish Rite wrote to Moses noting that Lounsbery looked over his work and stated, “he is greatly pleased with your work and had many good and nice things to say about you.” There was no mention about any dissatisfaction with Moses’ repair of the damaged scenes – at all.
Interestingly, two weeks prior to the letter, Lounsbery was mentioned in an article about the new stage. The article reported, “The scenic equipment was given to Lou Lounsbery, former McAlester resident and prominent worker in the Scottish Rite for years, to plan, as he had some big effects in mind and had investigated several large temples, the last two which were at Fort Scott, Kansas, and Oakland, California [both Moses installations]. Constantly getting closer to his idea of big effects, Thomas Moses was called to Los Angeles to consult with Lounsbery. After several meetings and the showing of a number of miniature sets, Mr. Moses was instructed to proceed with models and these were brought to McAlester.” If there were any deficiencies with the repaired scenery by November 1930, it was not mentioned in their letter to Moses. That being said, the dissatisfaction may have originated from a new source. From the beginning of the project to the final payment, there was a changing of the guard at the McAlester Scottish Rite in the form of a new secretary. When a new secretary of SGIG becomes involved with an existing project, it can change everything, including fair dealings; I know, as I have encountered this a few times.
On September 11, 1930, Moses wrote to the McAlester Scottish Rite Bodies, “I trust that you realize that we have a great deal more in this contract than has been advanced to us. Of course, we expected this to a certain extent, but work has been much more expensive than we estimated and we are cramped for ready means.” Part of the problem was size; you can only store so much scenery that measures 40’ high by 56’ wide while waiting for a payment. Moses tried to remedy these continued delays for the collection of the final payment. By this time, Moses had implemented a practice of not leaving a Masonic job until final payment was collected.
The final amount for the scenery was to be paid directly to Moses upon his arrival to McAlester for the final installation. On September 26, the National Supply Co. even sent a letter to the new McAlester Scottish Rite Secretary, Lawton Beasley, confirming that final payment should be handed to Moses on site and not mailed to the company. Again, this step was requested by Moses, and likely because the McAlester Scottish Rite had established a pattern of delayed payments to the National Theatre Supply Co. The McAlester Scottish Rite did issue a final payment before Moses’ departure, one that was handed to Moses directly. Unfortunately, it was for less for than the amount owed.
In the end, the McAlester Scottish Rite decided to not file for damaged goods with the railroad company and decided to just deduct that amount from their final payment, citing, “Under the contract these curtains were to be installed by your company in perfect condition.” They acknowledge that the National Theatre Supply Co. paid Moses $120 to repair the damage as well as possible, and then simply deducted the $120 fee for Moses from the final damage estimate. This meant that they chose not to pay the remaining $807.00 of the contractual agreement. In effect they breached the contract. That is today’s equivalent of $12,640.52 – no small amount.
The McAlester Scottish Rite even took the time to draw up an agreement justifying this reduced amount and stated that the National theatre Supply Co. would collect the remaining funds from the railway for damaged goods. The McAlester Scottish Rite then took the time to write a second letter to Moses, sending it via. William Lemle studio. They reiterated that Moses did the best he could with all of the repairs, but the scenery was still not in “perfect condition,” and therefore, they should not have to pay full price. In the end, it was the William Lemle Co., that took the time to file the claim with the railroad and collect the payment for scenery damage in caused during transit.
In regard to the McAlester Scottish Rite’s citing that Moses’ repairs left the Valley with scenery in less than “perfect condition,” I have a few comments. When considering the caliber of Moses’ work and his experience, leaving any scene in a bad state directly reflected in HIS reputation. As Moses had several more upcoming Scottish Rite projects, leaving any example of poor work would jeopardize future Masonic projects.
Furthermore, I evaluated the McAlester Scottish Rite scenery collection in 2010 and encountered no existing damage that would have substantiated their claim and decision for a reduced payment. It was in far better shape than most Scottish Rite scenery collections and absent of areas indicating massive water-damage. The painting was still beautiful and in great shape. If anything, the biggest issue was some dusting, repairs from constant used and failed netting; a standard deterioration after eighty years of use. Here are a few of the McAlester Scottish Rite Scenes.
For more information about Scottish Rite degree productions, scenery and stage machinery, visit www.drypigment.net and keyword search “Scottish Rite.”
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett
Scenery by Thomas G. Moses (1856-1934).
In 1929, Moses represented William Lemle, Inc., when he painted the scenery installation for the Scottish Rite Theatre in McAlester, Oklahoma, 1929. The drops measure 40′-0″ high by 56′-0″ wide. I restored most of the scenery collection between 2009 and 2010, including this wood scene.
Here is a link for more information about William Lemle, Inc., as I am currently exploring Lemle’s career in “Tales of a Scenic Artist and Scholar” – https://drypigment.net2021/02/13/tales-from-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-part-1161-william-lemle-inc/
Here is my post from today about William H. Lemle’s early life as an actor:
https://drypigment.net2021/02/13/tales-from-a-scenic-artist-and-scholar-part-1162-william-h-lemle-the-early-years/
For more posts about Scottish Rite scenery, use the keyword search function.
Copyright © 2021 by Wendy Rae Waszut-Barrett
Design and scenery by Thomas G. Moses (1856-1934). In 1929, Moses was representing William Lemle, Inc., when he painted the scenery installation for the Scottish Rite Theatre in McAlester, Oklahoma, 1929. The scenes measured 40′-0″ high by 56′-0″ wide.
For more posts about the McAlester Scottish Rite and other Masonic scenery collections use the keyword search function.