Theatre History
The Henry Strater Theatre
Rod Barker, producer
Welcome to the Durango Melodrama & Vaudeville at the Henry Strater Theatre! We are very pleased to offer such wonderful shows year after year, and this summer promises not to disappoint. Coming off of a successful 2010 summer in which the Henry Strater Theatre dazzled guests with the classic Melodrama “The Tavern”, the historic theatre is poised to open the 2011 summer with two fantastic shows featuring, “The Pursuit of Happiness” and “After Dark”.
Melodrama began in this theater in the summer of 1962 under the direction of Orvis Grout and the Diamond Circle Melodrama Company which included my Grandmother, Marion Jarvis; Father Earl Barker; Mother, Jentra Barker; with local and regional business pioneers: Mahlon T. "Butch" White, Robert Beers and Mort McGinley. It was a big gamble to produce such a show in a town that was only beginning its entry in to the world of tourism. It ran uninterrupted, for a span of 45 years, including a period under the direction of my sister, Jeannie Wheeldon.
When done correctly, Melodrama is a tangled combination of superb acting and dramatic overtones that uses subtly accentuated movements with musical accompaniment, to emphasize the drama of the scene. The Pursuit of Happiness is a play that you will fall in love with. It is a fun blend of romance, drama and humor. For the full blown Melodrama effect, After Dark has it all: A villain, a hero, a woman in distress and of course, the train.
The Vaudeville routines, at the end of the show, are an expression of pure unadulterated fun and farce with both modern and historical overtones. They provide an opportunity for our cast and directors to showcase their personal creativity, humor and wit.
As always, your participation in the form of hisses, cheers and lilting ahhhh's is a part of the dynamic and fun we form with this collaboration.
On behalf of the wonderful staff that has worked so hard to produce these shows, we thank you for your support of this old-time tradition of Melodrama at the Henry Strater Theatre. Please come back again and again and send your friends to our website, www.durangomelodrama.com.
Or book your tickets by phone: (970) 375-7160
