Added Stuff

In case you don't know us, Richard Poole is Emeritus Professor of Theatre at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa, while I (George Glenn) am Emeritus Professor of Theatre History at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. We met through our membership in the Mid-America Theatre Conference (MATC) back in the 1970s and collaborated on preparing the "Iowa" chapter in MATC's 1988 monograph, Opera Houses of the Midwest. We did a pretty good job on that which inspired us to expand that chapter into our book, The Opera Houses of Iowa (Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press, 1993).

NOW
The Opera Houses of Iowa (2019)
Revised, updated, and expanded!
BREAKING NEWS!
Major Price Reduction!
Hardcover edition price REDUCED over 60% -- now only $33.50 from our print-on-demand publisher, Lulu.com.
To order, visit www.lulu.com and search for the title, or use this link:

https://www.lulu.com/search?q=the+opera+houses+of+iowa&adult_audience_rating=00

Hint: Check the yellow banner at the top of Lulu’s website for additional discounts on all printed books.

Richard L, Poole

George D. Glenn

The first three chapters include a definition of the term "opera house," descriptions of opera house architectural styles, including single-story and upper-story houses as well as stage-oriented houses; descriptions of opera house scenery and machinery followed by a discussion of the many social functions the opera houses fulfilled in the period between 1860 and 1920. The final 162 pages consist of a descriptive and illustrated catalog of all the identified opera houses in Iowa, both extant (structure still standing as of 2019) and non-extant.

Although the examples cited are specific to Iowa it should be emphasized that what was true of the theatre in Iowa between 1860 and 1920 was also representative of the theatre in the country as a whole.

Want a little more? OK -- Here's the table of contents.

Preface
Acknowledgments

Introduction.
                Act I
                Act II

Chapter 1. Opera Houses in Iowa

                Origin of the “Opera House” Euphemism
                Opera House Categorization
                Single-Story Opera Houses
                Upper-Story Opera Houses
                Stage-Oriented Upper Story Opera Houses
                “Grand” Opera Houses

Chapter 2. Opera House Scenery and Machinery

                Iowa-based Opera House Scenic Designers
                                J. F. Briggs
                                Louis Syberkrop
                                Jesse Cox
                Standard Opera House Scenery
                Front Room Settings
                Back Room Settings
                Timber Settings
                Other Localized Settings
                Fancy Front Drops
                Advertising Front Drops
                Lighting the Opera House

Chapter 3. The Opera House as Social Space: Performers and Performances

                Production Companies, Plays and Other Activities
                Some Significant Iowa Troupes and Stars
                The Medicine Show
                Musical Programs
                Educational Programs
                Miscellaneous Functions of the Opera House

Chapter 4. A Descriptive Catalog of Iowa Opera Houses

   Introduction
                Extant Opera Houses
                Non-Extant Opera Houses

Appendix: Orphans.

Glossary of Opera House Theatrical Terms, and Inflation Calculator

References