Construction of the Euclid Avenue Opera House began in 1873. John Ellsler took charge of the theater and brought over his stock company. In the 1880s, Cleveland's stock companies, including the one belonging to John Ellsler, began to be replaced by the star system of combination companies. A touring actor, well-known enough to be labeled as a "star," would be contracted to play a leading role one or more times in different theaters across the country. Many of Ellsler's stock actors, however, went on to become part of the national theater scene that had replaced them to begin with. | Source: Cleveland Memory Project, Cleveland State University Library Special CollectionsDownload Original File
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Cleveland Memory Project, Cleveland State University Library Special Collections
