History of Community Theater
Established 1919
Placed in the "NATIONAL REGISTER of HISTORIC PLACES"
December 2006
In 1919, Dr. Wm. F. Burns, a physician in Newburg, Missouri, contracted W. J. Mitchell of Rolla, Missouri to build the only theater ever built in Newburg, Missouri.
The theater building is the only structure in the railroad town of Newburg, Missouri, to be built solely for social and public entertainment purposes. The cultural opportunities were quite an advancement over the news and features available via railroad telegraph or the on-again, off-again hometown newspapers, and, for the first time, residents could avail themselves of cultural activities and popular entertainment without a filter of a church or fraternal society. From its earliest days, the building was also a venue for community events such as school graduation exercises, plays, and band concerts. The theater hosted various community fund-raisers and private parties.
The period of historical significance extends from 1919, when the building was constructed and opened as a movie theater, until the building ceased to be used as a theater in 1955. The building reopened as a Live Stage Theater in 1983, and retaining the integrity of location, setting, materials, workmanship, and feeling, and continues to be used for public entertainment.
The first permanent settler in the area was about 1820, when a Kentuckian named William Coppedge followed the Little Piney creek to the area now known as Newburg. William Coppedge liked the location and built his cabin on a site about halfway up the mountain on what was to become Second Street in Newburg. At the time the Frisco Railroad surveyed for the town of Newburg only two small homes and possibly a farm were the holdings inside the area later designated as the Newburg city limits.
In 1883, approximately halfway between St. Louis and Springfield, Missouri, the city of Newburg was platted as a town site by the Frisco Railroad, to serve as a division point. The railroad brought many workers and their families into this remote area. Merchants and other entrepreneurs were soon to follow, and Newburg became a fast-growing town nestled in a valley in the Ozark hills. By July 1884 it is stated in the Rolla New Era newspaper, “The rapidity with which Newburg has grown is surprising. Less than half a year ago, one could have numbered the habitable dwellings on the fingers of one hand. Now they stand tastefully arranged over an area of several acres.” Houses were built covering the hills to the north, east and west of the railroad tracks. Hotels were always full and places to eat were busy around the clock at the height of the boom in Newburg. The Houston House, once known as the Railroad Hotel Eating House, received the new name when Jerry Houston’s wife took over the management of this establishment.
Upon her death in 1920, her daughter Helen and brother Homer took over management of the Houston House. In this year 2006, this building still stands and has become a landmark in the city of Newburg, Missouri.
Dr. Wm F. Burns born 24 February 1862, in Mackinau [Mackinaw], Illinois, a physician, the son of Austin Easton Burns and Caroline Korebaum Burns, was a resident of Oakford, Menard County, Illinois, at the time he married Sarah Elizabeth Johnson of Newburg, Phelps County, Missouri. The wedding ceremony took place in the town of Newburg, Missouri, on 28 April 1895. And the new Burns family made the city of Newburg their home. Dr. Wm F. Burns and his wife had one child, Dorothy Burns Lucas. Sarah Elizabeth Burns taught school in Newburg.
Dr. Wm. F. Burns, a practicing physician and owner of the local pharmacy, in April 1919 chose contractor W. J. Mitchell of Rolla, Missouri, to erect a theater building on lot 5, block 2, and an urban city lot he had purchased in February the same year, to served the community not only as a movie theater but a community building as well. Soon after the theater building was completed, Dr. Wm. F. Burns arranged to have erected a new bank building “The Bank of Newburg,” of which he became the president. Dr. Wm. F. Burns passed away on 16 September 1929, and is buried in the Newburg Cemetery28 alongside his wife Sarah.
Work on the theater building was started in April 1919, with plans to have it completed and ready to use on the first of June 1919. Due to the facing brick not being delivered on time, it was not completed until the end of July 1919. It is unknown who planned the building design and floor plan. A Mitchell family historian, Joyce Mitchell, in a conversation in 2005, stated that there are no records available for the buildings erected by Mitchell family during these years, as it was common practice for the person who wanted a building built to explain to Mitchell what they wanted, and contracts were verbal.
While the theater building was under construction, Mr. M. F. Meade, editor of The Phelps County Record newspaper, who at the time was showing movies on the second floor of the Pinto store in Newburg, took a contract with Dr. Wm F. Burns to lease the theater building for the term of five years. Mr. Meade and Dr. Wm. F. Burns decided the name for the new theater building would be, “The Community Theater,” because they expect to make it a real community enterprise: a theater they hope every person in Newburg and vicinity will take pride in. Mr. Meade often mentioned in newspaper reports that he was striving to bring top quality entertainment to The Community Theater. Not only was the building to be used for motion pictures but, at a very reasonable charge, would be made available to the community for other use.
The Community Theatre is one of the best country theaters in this section and will compare very favorable with many theaters in cities of twice to three times the size of Newburg. Dr. Wm. F. Burns, the builder, certainly deserves a vote of thanks from the people of Newburg and vicinity for providing them with the class of theatre he has. The Community Theater is one of the very few businesses in Newburg not directly related to railroading. The Newburg theater building illustrates the growth of the community and the diversification of its economy.
The opening date for The Community Theater was planned with the photoplay “The Heart of Humanity” (a top running show in New York, Chicago and St. Louis, endorsed by Statesmen, Ministers, The Red Cross, & American Public,) to be seen on the opening date as a part of this grand celebration. The Heart of Humanity, a silent movie, was a war movie about motherly love, an Allen Holubar super production staring Dorothy Phillips. A letter with the letterhead “Executive Office, State House, Jefferson City, Missouri” was sent to Mr. Rosenthal expressing appreciation for this great picture and signed by Frederick D. Gardner. This grand opening celebration was well received by residents and tickets were sold out well in advance at a price of; the first three rows at 22 cents each and all other seats were 45 cents and a war tax of 5 cents. It was with disappointment that an apology had to be printed in The Phelps County Record newspaper, informing the ticket holders that the opening would be put off due to the Model 6 B Powers movie projector not being delivered on time as promised.
Towns along the major railroad routes had an advantage in securing high-quality theatrical performances, as traveling troupes could easily reach them, and movie film could be delivered via railway, which had its advantages over being shipped in by other means.
The first event at the theater was not a movie, but a live stage lecture and demonstration by “Chief Wm. Red Fox,” a full-blooded Sioux Indian, son of Chief Black Eagle of the Rosebud Agency, South Dakota. This lecture was on General Custer’s Last Fight; The Battle of Wounded Knee, the Habits and Customs of Indians, etc. War Songs, War Dances, Blanket Dances, Green Corn Dance and other Native Indian Dances. Chief Red Fox served seven years in the United States Navy and is a graduate of Carlisle Indian School. He used his lectures as a means of helping people understand the Indian’s viewpoint. The first movie to be seen at The Community Theater, on 05 August 1919, was not The Heart of Humanity, but “Shark Monroe,” one of William S. Hart’s best offerings at that time. The movies shown during this era were silent movies with sound effects created in the orchestra pit in front of the stage. Several Newburg citizens have been noted as having played the piano in the orchestra pit during this era. One most often recalled is Miss Helen Houston, the daughter of the prominent Houston family of Newburg.
Playbills advertised in the local newspaper for Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with a matinee on Saturday, show The Community Theater as being supported by the community and thriving quite well. The starting time for the Saturday matinee was 3 p.m., lasting until 4:30 p.m. This time schedule made it difficult for the railroad workers who worked the evening shift to enjoy the matinee and be at work by 4 p.m. The Frisco Railroad made a request to the theater manager to reschedule the Saturday Matinee so the railroad workers could enjoy the matinee show and be to work on time without having to leave before the movie was over. The theater manager complied with this request, changing the matinee starting time from 3 p.m. to 2 p.m.
The Community Theater was often used by the community. Mr. M. F. Meade, the manager, donated the use of the theater building on Tuesday afternoon, 23 December 1919, to the Newburg Public School for a Christmas program; The program included readings, songs and plays, and the entire school took part. An admission was charged and proceeds used to purchase books for the school library.
On 20 September 1920, Dr. Wm. F. Burns sold the building to Mr. G. G. Prewitt and his wife Sarah of Newburg Missouri. Mr. Meade continued to operate The Community Theater under his old lease agreement with Dr. Wm. F. Burns. The Community Theater not only was used for movies but also for diversified entertainment, from school graduation exercises, plays, benefits and high-class entertainment as described here. Movies were not shown for two nights in April 1920 so the theater could be used for the Newburg School graduation exercise. To raise funds for a soldier’s memorial, the theater was donated by the manager on Friday, April 30, 1920. The play selected for the fund raising was, “The Triflers,” featuring the popular comedienne Edith Roberts, along with a planned music program. Not only was the theater donated for this benefit but the services of the staff as well. High-class entertainers were seen on this stage (illustration #3) such as Domingo’s Filipino Seranaders: The Only Celebrated Violinist in America of the 1921 era.
In March 1922, Mr. Meade announced that The Community Theater would be reducing the number of shows shown weekly at the theater. The Friday night showing was dropped and movies were shown on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, with an afternoon matinee on Saturday.
In April 1922, W. C. Buckner’s, Original Dixie Jubilee Concert Company, entertained the residents, being the best African American singing ensemble of its time.47 W. C. Buckner’s, Original Dixie Jubilee Concert Company, presented a Great Company of Artists in High-Class Program of Melody, Mirth, and Humor Classic, Comic, Sentimental and Character Numbers. In a town that otherwise was totally white, this was a popular phenomenon. The residents were able to be entertained by these high-class entertainers for a price of 40 cents for adults and 20 cents for a child.
The Community Theater was made available April through May in 1922 for the High School Seniors school play, “A Southern Cinderella!,” a boys band concert and an 8th grade graduation party. In September this same year, the theater was used by Mrs. C. D. Huckins and Miss Francis Baggatt, teacher of expression in Springfield, Missouri, assisted by locals, Mrs. H. Bull, Messrs. Houston, Houck, Johnson, and Williams, to raise funds for a relief fund, and $240.00 was raised. This was quite a handsome sum to be raised in the year 1922.
Circa 1925, the theater name was changed to “Lyric Theater.” An e-mail from Zoe Virginia Tankersley, born 05 August 1914, in Newburg, Missouri, now a resident of the state of Michigan, informs me of going to see the movie Ben Hur in the “Lyric Theater” in the mid-1920’s and of her having preformed on this stage when in high school. A program for the Newburg School junior play in 1930, “The Busy Bee,” and an advertisement for a movie 1934 “The Forgotten Men,” both a part of the Western Historical Manuscript Collection, University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR) library, Rolla, Missouri, use the name Lyric Theater as the name for the building. The program and the movie advertisement show the theater was surviving in the depression years. But, Newburg and the theater did not escape the hard times felt across this great nation and the theater building was deeded to the city of Newburg, Missouri, a municipal corporation in 1937.
The theater has an on-again, off-again history, struggling to survive the adverse economy brought about by the depression of the early 1930s. The building continued to be used to raise money for benefits, as shown in the advertisements in “The Newburg Times” newspaper. The movie “Start Cheering” was shown as a benefit, with two showings on the night of 4 April 1939, with proceeds going to purchase bats and balls for the Recreation Center, and that same month, on April 18, the movie “There’s That Woman Again,” along with the school band furnishing music and a two-reel comedy with talkies, was presented in two showings that evening for a benefit to raise funds for a hot-lunch room.
In 1939, a new name, “Newburg Theater,” replaces the name “Lyric Theater”. The theater building continued to be used by the citizens of Newburg when needed. And on 27 June 1939, a benefit for the building fund of the ”Christian Church” was held at the theater. The theater, having seen better days, was in need of repairs to the interior. Mrs. Beulah Fuller, mother of Edward Fuller, a Newburg boy who had made good in his career of acting, brought the plight of the theater building to her Newburg Civics Club meeting and asked for assistance from the club to repair the interior of the building so that a regular series of movies could be established. The club approved the suggestion offered. [Years later, Edward’s brother Ron Fuller made a statement to Helen Berg, theater secretary, that he felt his brother became interested in acting from watching the movies in the Lyric Theater.]
Under the management of a local resident, Homer Coffman, and with a completely remodeled and redecorated interior, thanks to the Newburg Civics Club, the theater interior is once again in first-class condition and the Newburg Theater held a grand opening Thursday, October 19, 1939, with the movie “Only Angels Have Wings,” with movies scheduled to be shown on Monday and Thursday nights. The formal grand opening was received by a large crowd. It is unknown just when this theater upgraded the equipment in the projection room to have sound with all the talking pictures the major film makers were producing by this time.
World War II is credited with reviving the economy in Newburg and creating a boom town for a second time in its young history. The theater, again using the name “Lyric Theater,” in 1942 flourished, with shows being shown seven nights a week: two shows nightly and a matinee on Saturday. The construction of the Fort Leonard Wood military base brought 38,000 job seekers through the doors of the employment office in Newburg. The town flourished from 600 to over 6,000 in a matter of weeks. The military used Newburg as a shipping point for the soldiers via the Frisco Railroad. The Lyric Theater being the main focus of recreation and entertainment in Newburg, there is no telling how many of our national heroes graced the doors of the Lyric Theater as they were being shipped overseas during World War II. Along with the end of war came changes for this area, and Newburg was again to fall back to a small town, trying to survive. The theater was not to escape the economic changes which befell Newburg. By the late 1940s, traveling by automobile made it easier for the residents to get outside of Newburg for entertainment other than a movie. Bob Forester, a resident of Newburg, recalls the theater closed for a while around 1948 and reopened in circa 1950.
Joe Cooper, a former resident of Newburg who operated the projectors at the Lyric Theater in 1951 – 1952 said that “the Lyric Theater had reopened again in 1950 under the management of Tink Huff, of Lebanon, Missouri. ‘Gone With The Wind,’ an all-time classic movie was shown during the time I was projectionist. The projection booth had to be fireproof. There were three small port windows that you could look out at the screen with steel plates above the windows; the movies are projected to the screen through these windows. A cord and pulleys overhead allowed the steel plates in case of a fire, to drop over the windows when the cord burned into. A door on the easterly and westerly end of the projection room was made of wood covered with heavy metal on the projection room side, causing these two doors to be fire proof. The old 35 mm film was very flammable: it would burn like gasoline. There were 35 frames a second going to the projection head, and the light from the lamp houses was very hot. If the film broke or hung up in the head you had a fire. The Lyric Theater had a fire burn up 3 reels of film. Later, they came out with safety film, that wouldn't burn. The Lyric Theater was open six nights a week and closed on Tuesday. Along with the main feature, the patrons saw a cartoon and a newsreel.” This was the era of infancy for television, and the theater newsreel was the only way to view the action taking place in the Korea police action our country was involved in during the 1950s. By the mid 1950s, most homes had a television for entertainment and instant news, and the Lyric Theater, like others in small theaters across the country, did not survive progress. The Lyric Theater closed its doors as a theater circa 1955.
The city of Newburg sold the theater building in 1957 to a group of business men,60 and the local lumber company used it for storage. After the group purchased the building, the Lyric marquee and the playbill cases are removed from the front of the building, the sunburst window over the front door remains boarded over, and a photograph taken about 1976 shows the building in a state of despair.
In 1983, Jay D. Turley, playwright, director and producer with Hollywood and Arrow Rock experience recognized the value of the old Lyric Theater to the Newburg community. Jay D. Turley purchased the old theater building and on October 24, 1983, held a public meeting at the local Newburg School for the purpose of renaming the building, asking for and getting volunteers to help clean up the building and to perform on stage. A sign was painted and placed on the building during this time calling it “Opera House.” A name chosen at this meeting was “Regional Opera Company.” The first show “Showboat A Comin,” opened in December the same year, using an all-volunteer cast. The reopening of this old theater building, and the organization skills of Jay D. Turley, appeared to be a blessing to Newburg. An article written in the Daily Newspaper, Rolla, Missouri, describes a new interest in the small town with an upshot in real estate sales.
While in California, Jay D. Turley had written materials for the Crippled Children’s and Cancer drives as well as episodes for movies and TV shows. “A signal for Miss Elizabeth,” won the 1975 Writers’ Guild Award for the best dramatic play of the year. Jay D. Turley wrote and sold “Portrait of a Giant” to Federal-One Productions of Los Angeles, California, in 1985. Jay D. Turley: registered his plays at the, Writers Guild in Berkley California. February 1, 1992, Jay D. Turley, and White-Lawson Productions of San Francisco, signed a contract for rights to produce in entirety or portions thereof.” The five plays included in the contract have all been produced in Newburg by the Regional Opera Company. Titles of the contracted works include Five play’s sold to be used in whole or in part for TV and movie production are: A Signal for Miss Elizabeth, Mrs. Ryan’s Heirs, Flight 409, Orphan Trains West, and Big Molly.
One of the original charter members of the Regional Opera Company, Cherrie Simpson, sang on stage a few times with Luci Myers,at the Cedar St. Center, Rolla, Missouri, is presently under contract as an entertainer at the Meramic Theater in Steelville, Missouri, did her first acting in plays with speaking lines at the Regional Opera Company under direction of Jay D. Turley in 1984. Cherrie returns as her time permits to entertain again in this theater.
Carol Van Biesen, of Rolla, Missouri, when playing the part of Miss Lotta Lamour in 1984 “The People’s Court,” a Jay D. Turley play, tells of her mother performing on this same stage several years ago.
In August 1989, Jay D. Turley received a thank-you letter from Judge Douglas E. Long Jr., in Adair County, Missouri, who was hearing the murder trial of John David Brown. The jurors were sequestered in Rolla, Phelps County, Missouri, and Judge Douglas E. Long Jr. made arrangements for the jurors to see the stage play “White Swan” at the Regional Opera Company. The special circumstances meant there could be no one else in the theater and the cast volunteered to have a special show for the jury. This is an example of the love of this old theater by those who volunteer to keep the doors open.
The people who are involved with this theater for regular performances are volunteers, including the theater manager. All the money donated at the door is used toward maintaining the building. There are several special shows eachseason, and these performers have made arrangements to take a part of the doormoney for their expenses, as they often travel great distances to perform at this theater. Bob Milne, internationally known ragtime pianist and story teller, travels each year from the state of Michigan to perform at the Regional Opera Company, while most of the special performers come from Missouri or nearby states. The Community Theater has historical value from the years between 1919 and 1955, while it continues to serve the community as a place of entertainment. Often patrons who have not visited the theater before will remark about the feeling one gets from visiting this theater. Those who attended the theater as children in the 1920s and 1930s recall the hours spent at this theater as a wonderful part of their childhood.