NEWS

Storyteller to Present Restoration Saga of Delphi Opera House

Bloomington storyteller David Matlack shares tale of landmark’s revival.

The newest installment of the If These Walls Could Tell series features Bloomington storyteller David Matlack presenting the restoration saga of the Delphi Opera House in Carroll County on March 4 in Indianapolis. The Delphi Preservation Society won the Cook Cup for Outstanding Restoration in 2017 for its transformation of the landmark on Delphi’s courthouse square.

Storytelling Arts of Indiana and Indiana Landmarks commissioned the story, “The Oracle of Delphi – A Grand History of the Delphi Opera House,” for If These Walls Could Tell, an annual program sponsored by Frank and Katrina Basile. The original storytelling series, now in its seventh year, focuses on a historic place in Indiana and the people who built, lived in, worked at, patronized and restored the landmark.

The performance takes place from 4-6 p.m., with a reception during intermission, in Cook Theater at Indiana Landmarks Center, 1201 Central Avenue in Indianapolis. Tickets cost $15 in advance and $20 at the door, and are available online at www.storytellingarts.org or by calling 317-576-9848.

In April 1882, the Lathrope & Ruffing Opera House opened in Delphi to a packed house of 500. The opera house was in constant use—often with two or three performances per week—until it began showing its age and suffering in the competition with the earliest movie theaters. The final blow came in 1914, when the opera house, on the building’s third floor, was condemned as unsafe. It remained shuttered for the next hundred years.

In 1996, the Delphi Preservation Society bought the dilapidated building and launched a heroic, nearly 20-year effort to reclaim all three floors. The group restored the exterior and the theater’s stunning historic features and added essential modern amenities—an elevator, new restrooms, improved dressing rooms, plus a catering kitchen and meeting rooms. The project is widely credited with reviving Delphi’s historic downtown.

Storyteller David Matlack attended his first storytelling event in 1990. He found himself slowly introducing the use of stories while visiting schools as a veterinarian. Many years later he continues to tell stories as a member of the Bloomington Storytellers Guild.

Matlack won first place at the 2016 Liar’s Contest on opening night of the Indiana State Fair and told ghost stories at Crown Hill Cemetery. He performed stories for Two Truths and a Lie at McCormick’s Creek State Park and Pokagon State Park in 2017. Dr. Matlack is Director of the Physiology Teaching Labs at IU Bloomington.

Matlack will also perform his story in the opera house in Delphi on Sunday, May 6 at 2 p.m. For information on this performance, contact the Delphi Opera House, 765-564-4300.

WHO: Indiana Landmarks and Storytelling Arts of Indiana

WHAT: Storytelling performance by David Matlack for If These Walls Could Tell, annual program of Indiana Landmarks and Storytelling Arts of Indiana

WHEN: Sunday, March 4, 2018, 4 – 6 pm

WHERE: Cook Theater, Indiana Landmarks Center, 1201 Central Avenue, Indianapolis

COST: $15 in advance; $20 at door. Available online at www.storytellingarts.org or by calling 317-576-9848.

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Media contacts:
Ellen Munds, Executive Director, Storytelling Arts of Indiana, Ellen@storytellingarts.org, 317-576-9848
Tina Connor, Executive Vice President, Indiana Landmarks, tconnor@indianalandmarks.org,
317-639-4534

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About Storytelling Arts of Indiana
Since 1988, Storytelling Arts of Indiana has introduced the art of storytelling by creating environments for the residents of Indiana to listen and share stories and by showcasing tellers who entertain and inspire diverse audiences. Year-round programs include public performances, the As I Recall Storytelling guilds, weekly storytelling at the bedside of patients at a local children’s hospital, summer performances for various day camps, and the Life Stories Project. For more information, please visit www.storytellingarts.org.

About Indiana Landmarks
Indiana Landmarks, a nonprofit organization, saves unique, historically significant, and communally cherished properties—rescuing them, rehabilitating them, and giving them new purpose. Why save historic places? Because landmarks lend character, beauty and a sense of place that enhances our quality of life and makes our communities attractive and meaningful places to live, work, and build a future. Indiana Landmarks’ staff in nine regional offices help individuals, organizations, and communities preserve, restore, and celebrate historic places. To learn more visit www.indianalandmarks.org.

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