Kate Claxton was an actor, theater company owner, and another of those the public loved to read about. She toured the West for the first time in the early 1880s. They also say the town of Claxton, Georgia was named for her.
 |
| Kate Claxton from Wikipedia |
Kate came to fame with her performance as a blind young woman in the play "Two Orphans", but gained her notoriety when the Brooklyn Theater, where she was performing in the above mentioned play, caught fire. One account recalls it this way:
"On
the evening of Tuesday December 6th 1876 when The Two Orphans was in
course of performance at the Brooklyn Theater and was rapidly nearing
its close, the scenery took fire. The audience began to be alarmed and
Miss Kate Claxton fearing the fatal effect of a panic stricken rush
the door came down to the foot lights and cried, "Be quiet. We are
between you and the fire the front door is open and the passages are
clear." She said this while the stage was a burning mass and it was
not until the spectators were seized with fear and it began to be
from the building that Miss Claxton and the other actors with her on
the stage at the time thought of flight themselves and then it was
only by means of a private passage under the auditorium that they
were able to escape."
All totalled almost 300 people perished in the fire and numerous others were injured. All nine hundred seats of the theater had been sold. The fire was made worse because there were no fire escapes and only a small staircase from the balcony to the ground floor.
Kate continued to be plague with fire or fire related incidents during the early part of her career. It was so bad that Harper's Weekly even ran a cartoon. Many news reports were in poor taste, as evidenced by the following:
A
hotel in St. Paul Minnesota, was burned on Monday morning. What is
remarkable about this affair is that Kate Claxton and Troupe had
engaged rooms in it for Tuesday. In ensuring hotels the insurance
company should insert a proviso in the policies to the effect that
Kate should not be allowed to lodge therein.
Colorado Weekly Chieftain May 10, 1877
Kate had started her own theater company in 1876. The news report of that event is well worth reading, if only for the language.
Feminine
management.
Kate
Claxton has leased the Lyceum Theatre in New York and will open it in
September with the full company a first class artistes. No woman has
undertaken the management of a theater in New York since the death of
Laura Keene, although her success in her best days might have
justified others in trying. With the exception of Mrs. John Drew,
miss Claxton will now, since the death of Mrs. Conway, the only woman
manager in the country. Miss Claxton is said to be a woman of
business parts, and she certainly demonstrated her tact in the
responses she made to the questions of the lawyers during the
proceedings in her bankruptcy case before recorder Fitch on Monday.
Even that venerable gentlemen and Willem Trohan was compelled to
smile at her dexterous replies, and ejaculate now and then with a nod
of the head — "good, very good."
Daily
Denver Tribune, July 16, 1878
 |
| Tabor Opera House, Leadville, CO 1881- Western History |
During the first season of the Tabor Opera House in Leadville, Kate Claxton's shows were some of the only ones to have an enthusiastic response. Her 1881 performance of "Two Orphans" was a hit. Kate also played Colorado Springs, Pueblo and other Colorado towns. The following appeared in the Leadville Daily Herald at the time of her performance in 1881:
Kate
Claxton.
Standing
room only was announced at the early hour last evening, at the Tabor
opera house, every seat in the house having been filled before the
rise of the curtain — an unusual thing in Leadville. A lack of
space precludes any extended notice of Miss Claxton's rendition of
"froufrou," but suffice it to say that the lady
demonstrated the fact that she is talented, and Louise in the "two
orphans" is not the only character in which she excels. Her
conception of "froufrou" is admirable and, last evening,
elicited much favorable comment. She was ably supported come, Miss
Dolly Pike and Miss Ewers are not and Gilbert were especially
distinguishing themselves.
This
evening "the snow flower" will be given for the first time
in Leadville. The piece admits an excellent scenic effects, which
effects are done by the mechanical portion of the company. Nearly the
entire house is already sold, cause probably by the character of the
peace and the first appearance of Mr. Stephenson. Leadville Daily Herald, April 21, 1881
Kate had bought the rights to "Two Orphans" and performed in it until the early 1900s. She sold the rights to D.W. Griffith, who made the 1921 silent film "Orphans of the Storm" with the Gish sisters, based on the play. After the death of her son, she discontinued acting.
Kate died on May 5, 1924 in New York City, New York. She had a long a prosperous career and delighted audiences throughout the West and the rest of the country. A woman worth remembering.
Doris Gardner-McCraw -
Author, Speaker, Historian-specializing in
Colorado and Women's History
Colorado and Women's History
Member of National League of American Pen Women,
Women Writing the West,
Pikes Peak Posse of the Westerners
Angela Raines - author: Where Love & History Meet
For a list of Angela Raines Books: Here
Photo and Poem: Click Here
Angela Raines FaceBook: Click Here
