Piper's Opera House

Piper's Opera House was not the first theater established in Virginia City, Nevada, but it was the most enduring. Piper's began as Maguire's Opera House which opened in the summer of 1863 and was located on D Street. It was a leader among theaters in Virginia City; all the major stars and companies played exclusively in this house. John and Henry Piper took over Maguire's on October 9, 1867 with financial support from John W. Mackay; they changed the name to Piper's Opera House. John Piper was formerly a German saloon keeper with no theatrical management experience but he was very successful in his new profession. Under his direction the popular entertainment venue offered melodramas, burlesque, light comedies, variety and minstrel shows, and classical dramas. Nationally known actors, actresses, and theater companies made their appearances, as well as regional and local talent.

Piper's first years of success were ended by the great fire of October 26, 1875 which destroyed more than 2,000 buildings in Virginia City's business district. Piper's was one of the first buildings destroyed and it represented a heavy financial loss to Piper. It was not until January 29, 1878 that John Piper opened his second opera house at a cost of $40,000 but soon it was considered the home of drama in Virginia City. This second structure was also destroyed by fire, on March 13, 1883. Piper rented Cooper's Hall and reopened several nights later. Thanks to popular performances, he was able to build his third opera house, which opened May 4, 1885. Classical tragedies, popular comedies, melodramas, musical comedies, and light operas proved popular with audiences and dominated the venue.

Piper leased the newly built McKissick's Opera House in 1888, as well as the Carson Opera House, and established a chain of theaters around which touring house companies could be sent. He managed all of these enterprises until his death in 1897, after which his son Edward Piper continued the business. Edward and other family members managed the theater until 1924 when the theater closed. Today, the building is being renovated with a plan to begin theatrical performances once again.

Scope And Content

This collection of playbills and tickets for Piper's Opera House consists of both microfilm and actual posters and tickets. It includes one roll of microfilm (13 frames) and 26 posters and tickets and dates from about 1884-1903, many materials are undated.

The microfilm consists of images of theater posters held by the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley; permission to reproduce must be obtained from the Bancroft. The other materials in the collection were donated to the University of Nevada, Reno, Special Collections Department by the Bancroft and are items that either duplicated Bancroft's holdings or were outside the scope of their collections. There are no restrictions on use of the physical copies.

1. Microfilm copies of Piper's Opera House theater posters. 1884-1896.
2. Tickets for Piper's Opera House. n.d.

3-14 Posters:

3. Billy Bennett's Big New Shows - Opera House - 3 Days Commencing Monday, Jan. 27.
4. Coming - Lincoln J. Carter's "The Heart of Chicago."
5. Band and Orchestra - "Ten Nights in a Bar Room," - Opera House - One Night, Thurs. Jan. 18.
6. Piper's Opera House, Virginia City. 21st Year. All New This Year. N.d. [1889].
7. Piper's Opera House, Virginia City. 20th Edition and the Best Ever. Every Feature New This Year.
8. The Extraordinary Farce "Brown's in Town" - One Unending Laugh.
9. William Gray and T. W. Gillingwater present An Original America Farce - "Hunting For Hawkins" by Guy F. Steely.
10. 20th Edition and the Crowning Triumph of Its Career - What's New in the 20th Edition. Entire Case and Company; "The Cavern of Grim Faces;" Imported Premieres and Ballerines; "The Garden of Jewels;" Special Vaudeville Features; Beautiful Palace of Bon Bons; "The Pagoda of the Emperor."
11. Char. H. Yale's Everlasting "Devil's Auction."
12. Magnificent Divertissements - First Time of the Superb Scene of. .. Transformation... "Ocean's Mighty Depths;" First Time of the European Novelty "The Dance to the Moon" With Marvelous Light Effects - "There is Only One Devil's Auction" and This is it.
13. Chas. H. Yale's Everlasting "Devil's Auction" - the 20th Edition and the Best Ever.
14. Chas. H. Yale's Everlasting "Devil's Auction" - Tons of Magnificent Scenery - Hundreds of Gorgeous Costumes - Odd Tricks of Mechanism - Positively the Best Ever - DON'T MISS IT!

Manuscripts | Special Collections

Please direct questions to Jacquelyn Sundstrand
Updated June 23, 2008