Marta Becket facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marta Becket
|
|
|---|---|
Marta Beckett's last show at the Amargosa Opera House, February 12, 2012
|
|
| Born |
Martha Beckett
August 9, 1924 New York, New York
|
| Died | January 30, 2017 (aged 92) Death Valley Junction, California
|
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation |
|
| Known for | Performed for more than four decades at her own theater, the Amargosa Opera House in Death Valley Junction, California |
|
Notable work
|
Show Boat, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Wonderful Town |
Marta Becket (born Martha Beckett on August 9, 1924 – died January 30, 2017) was a very talented American artist. She was an actress, dancer, choreographer, and painter. For over 40 years, she performed at her own special theater. This theater was called the Amargosa Opera House. It is located in Death Valley Junction, California. A movie about her, Amargosa (2000), even won an Emmy Award!
Contents
Marta's Early Life and Career
Marta Becket started taking ballet lessons when she was 14 years old. This led her to become a ballerina. She danced in the corps de ballet (a group of dancers) at the famous Radio City Music Hall in New York City. She also performed in popular Broadway shows. Some of these shows included Show Boat, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and Wonderful Town.
Later, Marta created her own one-woman show. She traveled all over the country, performing in small theaters and school auditoriums. In 1962, she got married. In 1967, while traveling with her husband, they got a flat tire. This led her to discover a theater in Death Valley Junction. She loved it so much that she decided to stay!
The Amargosa Opera House Story
The theater Marta found was part of a town built by a company. It was designed in 1923–24. The buildings were made of adobe in a Mexican Colonial style. The complex had offices, a store, a hotel, a dining room, and a recreation hall. This hall was used for dances, church services, movies, and town meetings.
Marta rented this recreation hall, which was then called Corkhill Hall. She started fixing it up and changed its name to the Amargosa Opera House.
Becoming Famous at the Opera House
In 1970, some journalists from National Geographic found Marta performing at the Amargosa Opera House. At that time, she was performing without an audience! Her story, and another one in Life magazine, made people all over the world interested in Marta and her unique theater.
Soon, visitors from everywhere came to watch her shows. Famous people like Ray Bradbury and Red Skelton even came to see her perform.
In her later years, Marta stopped dancing in her shows. She started performing a weekly "Sitting Down Show." She stopped performing at the Amargosa Opera House at the end of the 2008-09 season. But she began performing again in 2010. Her very last show was on February 12, 2012.
Marta lived and worked at the theater since 1968. She personally painted all the beautiful murals and created the stage sets. Her performances helped bring money to the Opera House, which is now owned by Marta's non-profit organization. Her shows also helped the entire town of Death Valley Junction.
Marta's Books
Marta Becket also wrote books.
- Her autobiography, To Dance on Sands: The Life and Art of Death Valley's Marta Becket, was published in 2007. An autobiography is a book about a person's own life.
- She also drew 42 full-page pictures and 10 smaller pictures for a book called Star Performance: The Story of the World's Great Ballerinas (1956).
Images for kids
-
When Marta Becket rented and repaired Corkhill Hall in 1967, she changed the name to the Amargosa Opera House.
See also
In Spanish: Marta Becket para niños
