CONTENTS -- Illustrations -- Preface -- Part 1: The Opera House Project -- 1 The Birth of the Opera House -- 2 Morality and Transgression at the Opera House -- Part 2: The Opera House in Context -- 3 The Opera House in the Landscape -- 4 The Opera House in a "Strange Land" -- 5 King Coal and the Opera House -- 6 The Opera House in the Fraternity -- Part 3: The Opera House in Action -- 7 Thunder and Lightning at the Opera House -- 8 (Per)Forming the Community at the Opera House -- 9 Variety at the Opera House -- 10 Drama at the Opera House -- Epilogue: The Death (and Rebirth) of the Opera House -- Appendix: List of Opera Houses Studied -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.