Theatre Manager

 

New York Clipper, 10 Nov 1906.

As I have been recapping the career of my 2nd-great-aunt Agnes Atherton this week, it has been fascinating to see her progression from young singer and dancer to actress, star performer, producer and stage manager. Agnes added another title in her career to business owner, running her own stage production company, the Atherton Stock Company. Through her association with Harrison's Garden Theatre in Lima, Ohio, she also took on the role of theatre manager in 1907. She ran advertisements for acts in various trade publications, booked shows and entertainers for the theatre.

Billboard, 27 June 1907.

New York Clipper, 12 Oct 1907.

New York Clipper, 30 Nov 1907.

Lima, Ohio was not then and isn't now a major metropolis. It is a small town in northwest Ohio, north of Dayton, south of Toledo, east of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Agnes had previously served as stage director for performances in 1905 at the competing Miller's Theatre in Lima. Both Joe Miller and Fred Harrison, proprietors of the stages in Lima, ran into trouble with local officials in 1906. 

Lima had enacted a local ordinance against women working in locations where liquor was sold. The ordinance effectively shut down Harrison's Theatre, and likely ended Agnes' role as theatre manager. The timing is odd, as the wanted ads for performers, particularly for women, continued to run in trade publications in late 1907, while the cases against the theatres were being challenged.

Lima News, 31 Dec 1906.

Lima News, 15 Jan 1907.

Lawyers for Miller and Harrison were able to invalidate the legality of the ordinance on a technicality, as the minutes of the city council meeting where the ordinance was approved was not properly signed and executed (22 January 1907, Lima News). The Lima mayor sent the ordinance back to the council, and it was re-enacted. The case against both theatres continued in 1908.

Times-Democrat, 13 Mar 1908.

Harrison's Theatre was raided on 12 March 1908, and nine women employees were arrested. Agnes was not among those listed. Harrison closed the theatre the following week.

Stage Director

The Billboard, 10 June 1905.

Using money saved from performances in Boston and New York in 1904, and building from her experience as a producer, Agnes Atherton took on a new role as stage director and producer for a show titled "In a Turkish Harem" at Miller's Theatre in Lima, Ohio.

New York Clipper, 10 June 1905.

The theater had recently reopened following a closure for "a contagion", which resonates now coming out of the COVID experience 115 years later.

Allen County Republican-Gazette, 10 Apr 1905.

Lima News, 10 Apr 1905.

It looks like Agnes' show ran through at least the end of May 1905, possibly into June. In November, Agnes returned to Buffalo, New York for a series of shows at Linn's Museum, one of which was a benefit show with the entire proceeds donated to a veterans organization. These performances ran through at least the first week of December 1905.

Buffalo Courier. 27 Nov 1905.

Buffalo Times, 26 Nov 1905.

In January 1906, Agnes appeared in Montreal, Quebec at the Bijou Theatre.

Montreal Star, 13 Jan 1906.

The Gazette, 16 Jan 1906.

By the end of January 1906, Agnes had returned to New York. She performed at the Capital Music Hall in Glens Falls during the week of 22 January (Billboard 3 February 1906), then on to the Rialto Theatre in Elmira (Billboard, 24 March 1906). At the end of July, she was at the American Concert Garden in Canton, Ohio.

Producer

 

New York Clipper, 1 Feb 1902

While 1901 may have been slow for mentions in the press, Agnes Atherton was in New York, planning a career shift into producing. The article above notes she had a five-week run in Savannah, Georgia, producing shows at the Alhambra Music Hall.

The previous year, Agnes had been in St. Paul, Minnesota (February 1901) followed by New York, appearing at the Rialto Music Hall in Elmira, New York in mid-August 1901, followed by the Columbia Music Hall in Utica, New York in late October. While these shows drew big crowds, it appears Agnes was working on a new type of production.

After the five week run in Savannah, she had a ten week run through the end of April 1902 producing a show called "Said Pasha" at the Star Theater in Charleston, South Carolina. While she did not receive the star billing in the advertisements for the show, she likely received a bigger portion of the profits from producing the successful run. It shows she had a lot of talent and creativity to move "behind the curtain", attracting comedians and entertainers from the vaudeville circuit in New York to take part in the Charleston shows. The performance often ran two shows a night, one early in the evening, followed by a late show, and were often paired with a boxing match.

Charleston Evening Post, 26 Apr 1902.

Charleston Evening Post, 22 Apr 1902.

Charleston Evening Post, 21 Apr 1902.

It is not clear if Agnes next took her production on the road to other locations on the Southern Circuit such as New Orleans, or if she made it to Cuba. I have not yet found a record for Agnes in the arrival or departure records on Ancestry for the early 1900s. 

Agnes appeared again in the papers as part of a comedy duo with Clarence Prouty. They performed with strong reviews at the Imperial Theatre in Tampa in mid-September 1902, followed by a return stop for Agnes to Savannah. On this trip she returned as part of the duo, to the rival theater of the Alhambra, the Royal Music Hall.

Tampa Morning Tribune, 24 Sep 1902.

Savannah Morning News, 19 Oct 1902.

The show must have been successful. Agnes stayed on in Savannah at least through mid-December 1902.

Savannah Morning News, 16 Nov 1902.

The owner of the Royal Music Hall declared bankruptcy on 11 December 1902, closing the doors. Apparently the performers were paid, but the closure of the hall put them out of work. Agnes was likely among those performers.

Savannah Morning News, 12 Dec 1902.

It is not immediately clear what Agnes did through the following months in 1903. She next appeared in the New York Clipper trade paper, which received a letter from Agnes in December 1903. Agnes wrote "she is soon to produce a new act in Vaudeville, with new wardrobe and scenery, now being made." (New York Clipper, 5 December 1903.

In February 1904, Agnes reappeared with a new stage show at Austin & Stone's Museum in Boston. She performed there through at least 10 May 1904. She wrote to the New York Clipper reporting "success in Boston, playing clubs. She has joined A. M. Gillette, and they will produce their European novelty act shortly" (13 February 1904).

In July and early August, Agnes appeared at the Lyceum Theatre in Niagara Falls (31 July 1904). The Niagara Falls Gazette noted Agnes was "a sketch artist and balladist. The whole show includes two dozen unusually strong numbers and is one of the best put on here in a long time."

Niagara Falls Gazette, 6 Aug 1904.

By September 1904, Agnes had moved on to Canton, Ohio. 1905 seems to mark a turn in the fortunes for Agnes, as she again received star billing in Buffalo, New York, and took on a new role in a production in Ohio. More on that in the next post.

Big in St. Paul & Omaha

 

Omaha World-Herald, 14 July 1900.

Agnes Atherton kicked off the summer of 1900 on the familiar Palace Theater stage in St. Paul, Minnesota for a three week run in June before returning to Omaha, Nebraska. Two years before she had a long run in Omaha of shows in the summer and fall of 1898, and was highly regarded in both locations. Mullen's Concert Garden and Vaudeville Theater promoted Agnes as "burlesque queen".

Omaha World-Herald, 30 June 1900.

Omaha World-Herald, 11 July 1900.

I like the quote from the mid-July article, that she was "undoubtedly one of the best known and most popular performers ever appearing in Omaha" by 1900.

On the vaudeville circuit, 1899

 

St. Paul Globe, 21 Mar 1899.

After a successful months long run of performances in Omaha during the summer and fall of 1898, and reuniting with her father, Agnes Atherton returned to familiar stages in St. Paul & Minneapolis in the spring of 1899. She had a three week run at the Palm Garden, performing sketch comedy and singing, followed by the first week of May at Horner's Palace Museum in Minneapolis.

St. Paul Globe, 11 Apr 1899.

She then went from Minneapolis to Buffalo, New York, at appear at the Wonderland theatre in May. This kicked off several months in New York state through October 1899, where Agnes performed during the summer in Binghampton, Oswego, Buffalo and Cayuga Lake park at Geneva. Toward the end of October, she performed at the Tivoli Fountain Theater in Buffalo.

Buffalo Times, 10 July 1899.

Oswego Daily Palladium, 24 July 1899.

Problems in Erie County

Apparently the Deputy Sheriff in Erie County, New York complained about the vaudeville performances on 16 July 1899, forcing a "strictly sacred show" and Agnes had to perform in "street clothes" instead of her normal stage costume.

Buffalo Courier, 17 July 1899.

Omaha, 1898

 

Photo by F. A. Rinehart. Kirchner's Orchestra. Omaha, 1898.

In 1898, Agnes Atherton took her talents to Omaha, Nebraska for several months of performances during the Trans-Mississippi International Exhibition. This was similar to the Chicago World's Fair which ran in 1893. The photo above was captured by noted photographer Frank Rinehart, showing performers, waitresses and Kirchner's Lady Orchestra from the German Village. Agnes performed at the German Village in July 1898.

Omaha Evening World-Herald, 28 July 1898. 

Photo by F.A. Rinehart. German Village, 1898.

Omaha World-Herald, 28 May 1898.

Agnes' performances in Omaha were highly regarded and regularly referenced in the papers as "the queen of burlesque." Her shows at Mullen's Concert Garden ran for eight weeks through mid-October 1898. Afterward the show went on the road to Kansas City, Missouri for two weeks (starting 24 October). Agnes returned to Omaha in November 1898 for more performances with Kirchner's "On the Midway" company.

Omaha World-Herald, 25 Sep 1898.

Omaha World-Herald, 30 Aug 1898.

Omaha World-Herald, 18 Sep 1898.

Omaha World-Herald, 18 Nov 1898.

I do not know if this Agnes is in the photo by Frank Reinhart taken at the German Village, but I'd like to think it may have been her.

Possibly Agnes? Omaha. 1898.

Chicago, 1897

 

Chicago Chronicle, 4 May 1897.

By Spring 1897, Agnes had a steady run in the vaudeville shows at the Opera House, Haymarket and Olympic theaters in Chicago. During this time, she was often billed as a "serio-comic vocalist".

Chicago Chronicle, 30 May 1897.

Chicago Chronicle, 5 May 1897.

In July 1897, Agnes returned to Minnesota for a series of shows in Duluth, and closed out the year in St. Paul.

Sweetheart Lou

 

Minneapolis Tribune, 30 Sep 1895

In 1894 and 1895, Agnes spent extended time performing in Minnesota. While there, she recorded a song with a local composer, Richard Hanch. The song was published in 1895, and the words were included in An Annotated Compendium of Old Time American Songs, by James Alverson III.

SWEETHEART LOU.
Copyright,1895, by Waverly Music Co.
Words And Music by Richard R Hench

A pretty little charmer with blue eyes,
That's Louise, my sweetheart Lou;
A girl who makes you think that she's an angel in disguise,
Is winsome Lou, the one that I adore;
Her smile is like a burst of sunlight
From gloomy skies above;
in all this world there's not one girl

Chorus.
Sweetheart Lou, I love you;
Days come, days go, still my love remains the same;
The sun shines brighter, my heart seems lighter
Ever since you came.

Some day we'll have a cosy little home,
Just us two, my sweetheart Lou;
You'll be the queen, my darling, and I'll worship at your throne,
Love will reign supreme forever more;
Your heart will never know a sorrow
While I am by your side;
I'll always love you, darling mine,
No matter whate'er may betide.-Cho.

Agnes was a popular performer in Minnesota.

St. Paul Globe, 8 Sep 1895.
By 1896, Agnes was back on the road, appearing in Sheboygan, Wisconsin (March 1896) and St. Louis (October 1896). 1897 marked a return to extended performances in Chicago, and I'll have more on that in the next post.