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 What
a beautiful stage Guyer has had for the past century. The original floor
is in place. Most of the original stage hardware is still mounted.
The trap door is functional. The beams above the stage are strong as
ever. Although the spectacular drop curtain had to be taken down because
of asbestos, the pictures that remain of it are phenomenal.
 The
proscenium arch can be represented as a picture frame through which the audience
looks to see the play. The arch has an interesting and beveled
design. The gas jets in the proscenium are still prevalent, too, as can be
seen at left. Shown below left is one of the jets that lit the opera house
and the stage when it first opened, probably from one of the dressing rooms.
Building codes do not permit gas lighting any more, as it is neither safe nor
cost-effective to do so. The extreme heat of the light emitted  from the
jets can be seen from the bubbled paint on the jets. This is another
little fact that contributes to the authenticity of the Guyer. Frosted
blue globes used to be fitted over the gas jets. Only a picture of one
original is known to exist.
 The
curtain was a painted asbestos drop. All opera houses had them. They
were to retard any fire backstage to give the audience a chance to escape.
Many asbestos drops featured a scene painted in the middle. Advertisements
from local merchants were not uncommon either, although the Guyer did not have
this feature. It is said that the scene on the curtain is a depiction of
Shakespeare's Hamlet. Click
to see the curtain from several different angles.  The
footlight trough was probably added at a later date. Footlights, which
were the symbol of theater for many years, are rarely used in modern
theater. Today, they are boarded over for safety reasons. The
picture at left shows the trough with the original hardware, and a glimpse of
the curtain as well.
The
trap door is still operable. It opens up into a dressing room below.
The trap door has been used in numerous plays, and is an effective device in
more shows than you think!   In
the opera house era, practically all scenery was the wing and drop type. A
drop is like the asbestos curtain that once hung in the proscenium. These
large pieces of material were attached to a wooden roll and then with ropes
around the ends would roll them up or down like a porch screen. The ropes
attached to the pulleys and tied off on the cleats to the sides of stage.
Wings were pieces of scenery that stood at the side and were painted to finish
out the drop. Practically all theater had five sets of wings and
drops. The drop in the right of both photos is the rear of the drop
curtain pictured above. You can see the wooden roll at the bottom of the
curtain.
 In
the far corner of the stage once existed the wench which controlled the asbestos
drop (shown at left). The ropes were attached to the tub and the the drop
could be cranked up or down. The wench is one artifact that still
exists. It reminds me of something you use to draw a raffle or play bingo
with!
There are two stairways leading to the
intermediate level where the concession area and dressing rooms are
located. The stairs are located at each end of the theater.
 The
structure of the roof is of great importance. The scissor beam
construction is very strong, but is rarely used because it uses so much
lumber. Part of the beams is shown at left.
A view of the stage before it was cleaned. 
 Original
stage hardware, most of which is still in place on the rafters of the
theater.
Gaslight piping also remains behind the border of the proscenium.
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