Author Carolyn Eichin will discuss her recently published book, “From San Francisco Eastward, Victorian Theater in the American West,” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
Eichin will be presenting in person and via Zoom at the Nevada State Museum, Carson City. Her lecture is part of the museum’s monthly Frances Humphrey Lecture Series. This new work plumbs a fascinating historical topic and is the culmination of many years of research by Eichin.
Victorian theater refers to theater produced and performed during the reign of British Queen Victoria (1837-1901).
This period coincides with the mining boom years in Nevada and the American West. Though San Francisco became the West’s cultural center many performers and troupes appeared at theaters built in towns across the West including Virginia City, Carson City, and Eureka.
The talk will feature many examples from Nevada theaters including the prominent Piper’s Opera House in Virginia City and will introduce the audience to many of the actors and theater managers who brought entertainment to smaller towns.
“The museum’s Frances Humphrey Lecture Series strives to highlight the amazing variety of Nevada’s natural and cultural heritage,” said Myron Freedman, administrator of the Nevada Division of Museums and History, “and Ms. Eichin’s talk will be a revealing portrait of nineteenth-century popular culture in Nevada.”
The museum is at 600 N. Carson St. in Carson City. Regular museum admission is $10 adults and free for members and children ages 17 and younger. Seating is limited. Go to www.carsonnvmuseum.org/events to reserve a seat.
