Boyd's Theater and Opera House facts for kids
| Address | 1621 Harney Street Omaha, Nebraska United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°15′24″N 95°56′15″W / 41.25655°N 95.93747°W |
| Owner | James E. Boyd, later Burgess-Nash Co. |
| Type | Theater and Opera House |
| Capacity | 2,000 |
| Opened | September 3, 1891 |
| Closed | February 2, 1920 |
| Years active | 1891–1920 |
Boyd's Theater and Opera House was a famous theater and opera house in Downtown Omaha, Nebraska. It was located at 1621 Harney Street. This grand building was a popular spot for entertainment for many years. However, it was taken down in 1920 to make way for a department store.
Contents
A Grand Stage in Omaha
The First Boyd's Opera House
The story of Boyd's Theater began in 1881. A man named James E. Boyd built the first Boyd's Opera House. He was a very important person in Nebraska. Boyd was not only a successful railroad and real estate developer, but he also served as Nebraska's governor and Omaha's mayor.
The first Boyd's Opera House was at 15th and Farnam Streets. Many famous people visited it. One of the first big stars to appear there was Oscar Wilde in 1882. Sadly, the original opera house burned down twelve years later.
Building the New Theater
After the fire, James E. Boyd built a brand new theater. This one was much bigger and grander. It was built at 17th and Harney Streets. The new theater had five stories and was made with a strong iron frame. Its outside was covered in red brick.
The building cost about $250,000 to build and furnish. That was a lot of money back then! The theater had shops on the ground floor and offices inside. The stage itself was huge, measuring 78 feet wide, 40 feet deep, and 60 feet high. The stage's front arch, called the proscenium, looked like a fancy arch from the famous Taj Mahal. Inside, the theater was decorated in calm colors like sage green and olive. It was lit up with electric lights, which was quite modern for the time.
Amazing Shows and Stars
When the new Boyd's Theater opened on September 3, 1891, it had 17 full sets of scenery. The very first play performed there was called Alabama. Thomas F. Boyd was the theater's manager.
The theater could handle very large productions. For example, a play called Henry V was so big that it needed 10 train cars just for the armour! It also used 200 trunks of costumes. The show had 167 professional actors, and with local actors joining in, the cast grew to 300 people. Boyd's Theater was truly ready for anything!
Many of the most famous actors of that time performed on the Boyd Theater's stage. English Shakespearean actors Sir Henry Irving and Dame Ellen Terry visited Omaha twice. They performed plays like Merchant of Venice, Nance Oldfield, and The Bells. Other celebrated performers included Otis Skinner, E. H. Sothern, John Drew, Walker Whiteside, Robert B. Mantell, Joseph Jefferson, Leslie Carter, Julia Marlowe, Ethel Barrymore, and Maude Adams.
In 1905, the legendary actress Sarah Bernhardt performed at Boyd's Theater in the play La Tosca. She was so famous that she traveled with her own special railway car. This car even carried her own carriage, a team of black horses, and her French coachman and hostler. Everyone in Omaha knew when Sarah Bernhardt was in town!
Omaha-born pianist Frances Nash also performed often at Boyd's Theater. She later married Edwin "Pa" Watson, who was a friend and important advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The Theater's Manager and Its End
The person who made sure Boyd's Theater had the best shows was William J. Burgess. He had worked in theaters since he was 12 years old. Burgess came to Omaha to manage other theaters before taking over Boyd's. He wanted to make Boyd's the top live theater in Omaha. He even started the first mail-order tickets in town and tried to book the best acts. He even opened an acting school for new actors.
However, people's tastes began to change. More and more people were going to see motion pictures instead of live plays. Also, putting on live stage productions became more expensive. Even with all of Burgess's hard work, it was hard to compete.
In 1914, Boyd's Theater was sold to the Burgess-Nash Company for $231,000. They tried to keep it running as a theater for a while. But as "talking movies" became more popular, the company eventually closed the theater. The very last performance at Boyd's Theater was on February 2, 1920. Soon after, the building was torn down. The land was then used for the company's department store. Today, the Omaha Public Power District's downtown office stands on that spot.
