Theater Opening, Amenities, & Promises
The Lyric Theater opened January 2nd, 1909, taking over from the previous theater the Orpheum, presumably bought out from the previous owners. Records indicate the Orpheum being announced as sold December 31st, 1908, to the Lyric Theater Company. This initial announcement places heavy emphasis on seat rearrangement, general improvements to the facilities, and new management promising "first class attractions."
"Orpheum Theater Sold.," Morning Register (Eugene, Oregon), December 31, 1908: Newspapers.com.
This list of first-class attractions lists an in-house singer, promising at least two songs per performance. These performances are promised daily, three times a day, for a minimum of an hour to accompany the regular matinees.
"Lyric Theater Opens Tonight.," Morning Register (Eugene, Oregon), January 2, 1909: Newspapers.com.
The Lyric Theater's programming appears to have appealed to a wide variety of patrons, notably offering two separate admission prices of 5 cents and 10 cents, allowing room for consumer affordability. Their advertisements feature heavy emphasis on musical pictures and orchestral accompaniment to be enjoyed by all.
Closing
It should be noted that the Lyric Theater has been cited as going broke not once, but several times. In a newspaper clipping shown here, between the bottom left column and top right column you can read a small City News snippet declaring the Monroe & Sons Furniture Dealers buying out the theater chairs once again.
Although there are no sources of definitive evidence, it can be speculated through the large list of amenities that ongoing operation required a large amount of overhead that could not be cleared in a timely manner, leading to the short-lived nature of the Lyric.
Promotional Strategies
The images provided above document the Lyric's main promotions - newspaper advertisements paired with a consistent matinee and performance schedule. Patrons could count on a predetermined calendar to know when their entertainment would be available, while advertisements filled in the gaps of who/what was currently exhibiting.
Known Exhibitions
Movies |
Singers |
| The Girl And The Outlaw, D.W. Griffith, 1908 | Roy King - sang "My Heather Queen" |
| Mr. Bryan - sang "Comrade Mine" |
