Marta’s Opera House - a photo on Flickriver

Marta’s Opera House

Death Valley Junction, California ( population 10.)

This was first a silent movie theater, built for the entertainment of borax company executives staying at the Amargosa Hotel. The original opera house was a big boxlike wooden building, across the road. We used to pull over and sleep behind it. Eventually it was burned to the ground by vandals.

Half a century ago, a New York dancer passed by the Amargosa Hotel with its little theater and fell in love with it.

Her name was Marta Becket. She bought the old place. For years she struggled to clean up and improve it, all the while giving regular ballet performances.

The last time I saw Marta perform in her little Opera House, it was two years before her retirement. She was in her eighties, still well worth watching, softly and gracefully dancing classical ballet and humorous pieces, all of which she choreographed herself. Amazingly supple.

By that time she had regular sellout crowds. But in the beginning, way out there in the deep desert, there were many performances when no audience showed up at all.

Marta was talented in more than one of the arts. She took care of the lack-of-audience problem by painting a colorful antique crowd on the interior walls of her theatre, all the painted eyes directed at the stage.

Glance at the stark white exterior, then look here for the interior of the Opera House, all painted by Marta.

Taken on: March 15, 2015

Tags:

Marta Becket

Amargosa Opera House

ballet « less

Sets appears in: • Death Valley

Groups appears in: • Buildings/Architecture • Death Valley National Park more » • in explore « less

Camera: Canon EOS 7D Mark II, f/8.0, 1/500 sec, 35mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Lens:	Canon EF 35mm f/2 IS USM
Aperture:	f/8.0
Exposure Time:	0.002 sec (1/500)
Focal Length:	35mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Photos 1.0.1
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