Show CHICAGO PRIESTS TO GIVE MELODRAMA IN THEIR NEW THEATER CHICAGO July 6 The The first playhouse play play- honse house in America and possibly in the world to be maintained and operated by a church was opened formally last night when hen the College theater the new new adjunct to St. St Vincents Vincent's college the Catholic educational institution institution at Sheffield and Webster avenues aven ues use use- produced the grand opera Otho Visconti The opening opening engagement comprises I four performances and employs a company com corn comI I pany of seventy five members members' headed I Iby by Joseph Sheehan tenor of Madam Butterfly company Others of the same company were in in i the cast An n orchestra of forty pieces was used f for forthe forthe r the occasion The College theater is a practical venture on omi the part art of the priests at St. St Vincents Vincent's and is designed to fill a popular want on the part of the residents resi real dents on the extreme northern district of the city It caters to the same class of theater goers that Bush Temple theater the theater ater several miles south sonth supplies with amusement Moreover it is a money making venture ven yen venture ture and one that experienced managers managers man man- aers agers say is is bound to succeed There will WIn be nothing secular about the tile class of plays presented and melodramas will willbe be featured largely in the program At the close of the engagement the theater heafer will close for the summer opening opening open pen ing lIlg September 1 for a fall and winter season of popular pla plays s in which tragedy tragedy tragedy tra tra- gedy comedy and melodrama will be produced by a high-class high stock com corn pany Grand opera will be given from time to time also but not light op opera era I The College theater will follow closel closely the lines of other first-class first theaters the the- aters said George Herbert the stage manager last night There is a good goodfield goodfield field in this neighborhood for good clean productions and there is nothing II strange that priests of St. St Vincents Vincent's college decided to fill the need for fot it It ie simply practical recognition of that that need need as well as of the drama as an educating and wholesome element of modern life me The priests who make up the faculty of St. St Vincents Vincent's 8 college will cull manage time the house booking all its attractions and looking after the other details which demand the attention of amusement amuse amuse- ment meat promoters The house is one of f the places of amusement in Chicago There i is no balcony and no gallery in inthe the th hou house e. e The main floor provides for the thc accommodation of 1075 persons persons per per- sons sons- while the mezzanine floor has boxes boxes box box- es e's es which provide seats for The theater has by far the widest auditorium auditori auditori- um urn in this city and the widest stage opening A magnificent nt octagonal d dc me surmounts surmounts sur sur- I mounts the auditorium and its sides frame a series of mura mural mura umi paintings and the largest canvases ever attempted in Chicago The subject is is The Progress of Education depicted as follows follows- Education in in Classic Athens Constantine Delivering Rome Home to the time Pope The First Christian School Ireland the School of Europe in the Sixth Century and The The First Italian Italian Italian Ital Ital- ian University Over the proscenium I is an idealistic panel of the nine muses with sith the winged horse Pegasus ridden by Music Other pictures are Oxford Oxford Ox ford University England and andI I Catholic University or of of America at t Washington |