In 1917, John Mulvihill had yet to develop the confidence to manage the Theatre himself. Accordingly, he decided to lease the Theatre to Joseph D. Glass, an experienced director of a stock company in El Paso, Texas, to install a resident stock company at Elitch to open its season on June 17th.
After several postponements, the opening of the season took place on June 24th with the play Jerry, a comedy made popular in New York by Billie Burke. Glass announced that youth would be the dominant factor in the personnel of his stock company. Audra Alden, a 21-year-old, was selected to play the lead role in Jerry, as she “has been successful in Billy Burke roles.” While the play received satisfactory press, poor attendance raised a concern that the Theatre might be forced to close prematurely.
It was suggested that the small attendance numbers at the performances were largely impacted by two factors. The cast of the resident company did not contain name.’ players, and the plays scheduled for the first three weeks of the season had been performed in downtown Denver theaters during the two preceding seasons.
As a result, Mulvihill called for a complete reorganization of the company on July 6, 1917, replacing Glass with O. D. Woodward, the successful manager of the Denham Stock Company in Denver. The popular Maude Fealy was engaged as the company’s leading lady. She appeared in Her Own Money, The Bachelor, Sauce for the Goose and other comedies. Although the change was beneficial, the attendance at the Elitch Theatre did not reach a level that was financially successful.
[Borrillo, T. A. (2012). Denver’s historic Elitch Theatre: A nostalgic journey (a history of its times). Colorado. p. 119-120]
Theatre Staff:
- John M. Mulvihill, Owner
- Joseph D. Glass, Manager
- O. D. Woodward, Director
Resident Company:
- Audra Alden
- Maude Fealy
- Florence Roberts
- Margaret Fealy Cavallo
- Adele Bradford
- Melba Palme
- Hazel Whitmore
- Emma Raff
- Lea Penman
- Eugene Powers
- William Morse
- Clare Hatton
- William Winterhoff
- Corbett Morris
- William Reiffel
- Ralph Lee
- James Bliss
Productions:
- Week of June 24: Jerry, by Catherine Cushing.
- Week of July 1: Blindness of Virtue, by Cosmo Hamilton.
- Week of July 8: Sauce for the Goose, featuring Maude Fealy and William Morse. The company was re-organized, with Mr. Woodward and Mr. Morse in Charge.
- Week of July 15: Her Own Money, by Mark Swan, featuring Maude Fealy.
- Week of July 22: Sham, by Geraldine Bonner and Elmer Harris.
- Week of July 29: Baby Mine, by Margaret Mayo.
- Week of Aug. 5: The Bachelor, by Clyde Fitch.
- Week of Aug. 12: The Women He Married, by Harriet Ford (World premiere), featuring Maude Fealy.
- Week of Aug. 19: Little Miss Brown, by Phillip Bartholomae.
- Week of Aug. 26: Her Husband’s Wife, by A. E. Thomas.
