The Coates Opera House was a prominent performing arts venue and cultural landmark in Kansas City, Missouri[1] from its founding in 1870 to its destruction in a fire in 1901.[2] It was built by Kersey Coates, a local hotelier. The House was the first legitimate theater in Kansas City.[3] It was located on the northwest corner of 10th and Broadway.

Exterior view of Coates Opera House

Heart and Sword, starring Walker Whiteside and Leilia Wolstan was the last performance in the theatre.[4]

Playwright and actor John A. Stevens managed the opera house for the 1871–72 and 1872–73 seasons (its second and third seasons).

Notes edit

  1. ^ Snell and Kelley, pg. 17, citing Albrecht, pgs. 2-6
  2. ^ New York Times: KANSAS CITY THEATRE BURNED.; Coates Opera House a Complete Loss -- "L'Aiglon" Was Booked for Monday.
  3. ^ Bygone Theaters: Coates Opera House Archived 2005-11-19 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Last Night at the Opera". Kansas City Public Library. Retrieved 19 July 2014.

References edit

  • National Conference on Music of the Civil War Era (2004). Mark A. Snell; Bruce C. Kelley (eds.). Bugle Resounding: Music and Musicians of the Civil War Era. University of Missouri Press. ISBN 0-8262-1538-6.
  • Albrecht, Theodore (May 1992). "Music in Kansas City Before the Civil War". Mid-West Notebook. 1 (1).

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