Tickets are now on sale for A Night At the Quinby Opera House to be held September 22nd at The First Presbyterian Church Bruch Hall, 621 College Ave. Wooster. Performers include Richard Figge, Ted Christopher and Dick Benson just to name a few. Tickets are $25 and are available at Buehlers Downtown, Milltown, Orrville and The Wooster Book Company. Seating is limited to 200 tickets per performance, so hurry and purchase your tickets before they are gone!
The Quinby Opera House was built by D.C. Curry and Brothers in 1876 at the cost of $25,000. It was originally located on the corner of North Buckeye and Larwill Streets. It was named in honor of Mr. Quinby by popular demand and against his protest, and over his veto.
The building was the vision of the Quinby Hall Association. The organization was comprised of Ephriam Quinby, Jr. – President; E. P. Bates – Secretary; J.H. Kauke; D.Q. Liggett; Ira H. Bates; and D.C. Curry. It was designed by architect C.M. Amsden, and D. Graham of Chicago designed the stage. Artist Charles Gasche was the contractor for all decorative painting, and he was assisted by Messrs, Busch, Pinney and Diehl. The opera chairs were cast by B. Barrett & Son, and upholstered by John L. Smith. The furances, water and plumbing were by A. Saybolt with gas fitting by W.S. Leyburn, plastering by William Carnes, and tinning by Aaron Lehman. All of the contractors were citizens of Wooster. The dimensions of the Opera House were 70 x 104 with an auditorium of 60 x 70 which could hold seating for 1,000 including the balconies on three sides. The stage was 44 x 32 and cost $8,000. Gas lights provided the illumination .
Opening night was held on Thursday, February 1, 1877 by Miss Effie L. Ellsler, with a performance from John Ellslers Euclid Avenue Opera House, Cleveland, in Shakespeare’s As You Like It. Woosters Amateur Dramatic Troupe performed plays there through the 1870s. A product of the era, Temperance Movement dramas were also performed at the time, the most popular being Ten Nights in a Bar Room. The building was torn down in 1900 when the newer Opera House at City Hall fell more into public favor
