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1936 Texas Centennial Celebration
After the city of Dallas was selected to be the site of the official Texas Centennial Celebration in 1936, Amon G. Carter began making his own plans for a celebration in Fort Worth. The plan was to develop several acres of a nearby cow pasture into a midway of exhibits, sideshows, a Wild West show and a musical circus. At the center of the complex was a large outdoor amphitheatre and restaurant called Casa Mañana, or "The House Of Tomorrow."
The plan quickly changed into action when Amon G. Carter hired Broadway producer Billy Rose for $1,000 a day for 100 days to produce the "show of shows" for Fort Worth. In a few weeks the cow pasture was transformed into 40 magical acres and Casa Mañana was born. The outdoor amphitheatre housed the largest revolving stage in the world. A large moat surrounded the stage and fountains were used to project a wall of water to be used as the curtain for the stage. The restaurant and theatre complex could accommodate up to 4,000 patrons for dinner and the show.
For the first time, the wonder and enjoyment of Broadway entertainment was brought to Fort Worth. The production featured Broadway revues, dancers, showgirls, beauty queens and elaborate staged production sequences.
Casa Mañana was so successful that plans were made to bring it back each summer for four consecutive years. Soon thereafter, however, because of the costliness of the project and the threat of World War II, only memories of Casa Mañana remained. The entire complex was eventually dismantled, as most of the steel and other useable materials were recycled for the war effort. Yet, the dream of Casa Mañana refused to die.
Casa Mañana Returns In 1958
The dream was brought to life again during the fall of 1957 by the late James H. Snowden, Jr. an oil man and president of the Fort Worth Opera Association, and Melvin O. Dacus, the then-manager of the Fort Worth Opera Association. These two gentlemen proposed to the Fort Worth City Council the formation of a non-profit corporation to build and operate a theatre complex primarily focused on the production of Broadway musicals. The cost would be $500,000. The project was approved by the Fort Worth City Council on January 14, 1958.
Construction began two months later, on March 13th. A record-breaking 114 days later, the construction of Casa Mañana Theatre was complete. The new Casa Mañana Theatre was a magnificent fully-enclosed, air-conditioned, aluminum-domed theatre. The house seated 1,805 patrons and introduced audiences to "theatre-in-the-round," a stage configuration that featured a round stage in the center of the theatre, with audiences in seated sections that completely surround the stage. With no backstage area, the actors and stagehands would use the surrounding concourse and aisles to move set pieces, props and other materials on and off-stage. Although this unique feature would limit the size of the productions on-stage, the action was constantly moving from one scene to the next. And with the last row only 36 feet from the edge of the stage, patrons fell in love with the intimate feeling of being in the audience at Casa Mañana Theatre.
Casa Mañana's black-tie opening was on July 5, 1958. The production of Can-Can and the new theatre made national theatrical headlines and marked the return of "live theatre" to Fort Worth.
Casa Mañana Through The Years
In addition to the construction of a new theatre, the Fort Worth City Council approved the creation of a nonprofit organization to operate and manage the facility. In 1958, Casa Mañana Musicals, Inc. was established. The first general manager was Melvin O. Dacus who answered to a volunteer board of directors.
In 1962, Casa Mañana Musicals, Inc. expanded its programming and introduced the Children's Playhouse, a series of professional children’s theatre that brings the magic of live theatre to the youth of North Texas. Each year, nearly 150,000 parents, children, teachers and students attend this popular series.
Shortly after the Children's Playhouse Season was established, Casa Mañana Musicals, Inc. opened its Theatre School to introduce children to live theatre and train them in the performing arts. Today, classes for children ages 4 and up are taught by theatre professionals year round and are offered in a variety of disciplines in the performing arts, including acting, musical theatre, movement and voice. And after more than 45 years in operation, Casa Mañana's Theatre School has become one of the largest acting schools for children in the United States.
In 1998, Casa Mañana Musicals, Inc. began producing and presenting shows year round at the new Nancy Lee & Perry R. Bass Performance Hall. These shows include Casa’s locally produced mainstage productions and the best of Broadway’s national touring shows.
Since 1998, Casa Mañana Musicals, Inc. has experienced tremendous growth. Attendance for all productions have reached historic highs and budget size has doubled. New programs have been added to Casa's Educational and Outreach programs, including The Betty Lynn Buckley Awards, which honors excellence in high school musical theatre, a summer theatre school program called Camp Casa, and a new outreach performance troupe, The Casa Playaz, who complement the work of the Casa Kids in bringing the magic of live theatre to the community.
In 2003, after a decade of careful planning and fundraising, the renovation of Casa Mañana Theatre was completed. The renovated facility features a performance space that supports and enhances the work of the actors, dancers, musicians, directors and technical crew for a broad range of theatrical presentations. It also provides space for the expansion of Casa's nationally-recognized educational programs and allow other community groups with a venue to accommodate a broad variety of meetings, performances and other events.
In 2004, the Board of Directors recognized that the "Musicals" part of Casa Mañana Musicals, Inc. did not reflect the broad contributions in theatre and performing arts the organization was making to the North Texas community, and voted to officially change the company's name to Casa Mañana, Inc.
Since its creation in 1958, Casa Mañana has grown to become the largest performing arts organization in Tarrant County. Four men have led this organization with vision and remarkable leadership starting with Melvin O. Dacus, then Clarence "Bud" Franks, Van Kaplan, and now Denton Yockey. Twenty three men and women have led its board of directors and literally hundreds of dedicated and generous volunteers have given their time and energy to serve on the board over its history. As we approach our 50th anniversary with the commitment to present the highest quality in live theatre and with the overwhelming support of the community, Casa Mañana continues to realize the meaning of its namesake -- "The House of Tomorrow.”
