Bird Cage Theatre
| Location | Cochise, Arizona |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 31.7119, -110.0653 |
| Access | Public - museum, ticketed, night tours |
A dumbwaiter carried drinks from the Bird Cage's bar to patrons in the boxes above its auditorium. A Historic American Buildings Survey account collected in 1940 records this practical arrangement inside a compact theatre and saloon.
William and Lottie Hutchinson opened the Bird Cage in December 1881. The theatre's own history describes an initial ambition to attract audiences for respectable family entertainment, including a free Ladies Night. That plan changed as the proprietors sought business from Tombstone's mining crowd. Variety entertainment shared the premises with saloon and gambling activities.
The survey describes Ed Wittig's seven-piece orchestra playing for dances after performances, when chairs were cleared from the auditorium. Around the floor hung low, dark boxes decorated with prints. The same room accommodated successive kinds of entertainment.
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