The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-08-16
Frederic Haskin's Letter
Municipal L light Opera

st Louis, No, Aug. 14.-During
the hot, humid summer when most
OF st Louis sinks into gentle
languor vergihg on Information.
the chief diversion Of the city is in
municipal theatre. When the sun
10 too close to the back Of ones
neck to talk about anything else, 1t
Is always possible to hold spirit
cd conversation concerning the
city's management Of light opera,
and to dwell on the amazing pro-
gressiveness of st. Louis In pro-
viding its own theatrical entertain
ment. At least, it Is always pos
sible for a ST. Louisan.
The municipal theatre seems to
have moved st. Louis a. no other
possession has done. In the first
place, it is under the impression
that it 10 the only city in the coun-
TRY which ever thought Of having a
municipal theatre, much less of
building one, and SO evidently
pleasing is this conviction that no
one has yet had the courage to
point to at least three or four other
cities which have quite charming
| ones.
ANY anyway, il st. Louis is not
the only city actually to own a
municipal theatre, it is the first
one to recognize the real value OF
such an institution and to make
practical use Of it. Thus. instead
Of reserving it for historical
pageants, miscellaneous concerts
and other forms Of self-expression
Of the masses, it has gone actively
into the entertainment business, re-
cruited and modified a profession
al summer stock company, and has
been producing the most popular
Of our light operas all during the
summer.
Profits Go to the City.
The success of this innovation
may be judged by the tremendou:
crowds that fill the great open-ail
auditorium every night, as we'll a:
the size Of the box Office receipts
for the theatre is not run entirel!
on philanthropic principles. II
fact, it couldn't be. st. Louis
would doubtless Indignantly rebe
if called upon to pay taxes Il
support several expensive and tenn
peramental professional voices, bu
it does not in the least mind paying
to hear them. The best seats cos
from a dollar to a dollar and ,
half, and they are always fillet
except in case Of rain when tn,
performance has to be called off
At the back Of the auditorium Their,
are several rows of free Nseats. AL
profits from the enterprise-an'
for the first time this year tn
municipal theatre is being operates
, at a profit-afe turned back int
the city treasury to be used TO
improvements.
With the exception of a fey
movie houses, which operate half
heartedly through the summer eve
nings, with the aid of many electri
fans, the municipal theatre seem
to have little competition. All Q
/ the large city theatres are closed
in fact, whole sections of st. Loui
appear to be closed. You can wal
for miles and miles past silent
Lightly barricaded doors and win
: dows, and never encounter anothe
human beings, until you reach For
!, est park, and there the entire popu
lation of the city is apparent
gathered and headed for the munit
) ipal theatre. Hundreds Of mote
:! cars are parked along it's wild,
: smooth boulevards, while thor
3 sands of pedestrians may be see
4 moving across the soft, green gras
= in the direction Of mass of elet
trio lights glimmering through til
trees. a
The tseatre is situated on ii
steep bank of the River des Pert
whose slope is we'll adapted
seats. The auditorium is Of col
crete, quite Astonishing in siz
with hundreds Of rows of woode
/ portable chairs, and surmounted ;
H the top by an ornamental colonad
! The exact figures, in fact, show
4 to have depth of 256 feet, an ave
age width Of 225 feet, with a tot
J seating capacity of 9,270. The ext
, have been carefully arranged .
. that the auditorium can be emptit
4 in from 10 to 20 minutes val
= able asset in the case of a suddt
shower. Everyone in the audien,
a has a free, unobstructed view
= the stage. and the voices Of Il
= singers and speakers carry sati
:. factorily.
II The Largest Outdoor Stage.
i The stage proper, which is Il
" largest outdoor stage ever erecte
70 Is built upon the banks of the Riv
! des Peres, in the midst of a den
d shrubbery plantation. Two lar
s. oaks about 70 feet high form a bea