DENVER — The Oriental Theater in Denver, an 84-year-old venue listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has been closed for repairs. A portion of the ceiling estimated to be 20 by 15 feet in size fell to the stage on Sept. 23, shortly after a performance by Cajun fiddler Doug Kershaw and his band. The band members had left the stage at the time of the collapse and no injuries were reported.
Kershaw, 75, and three other members of the band had left the stage after their first encore, and were preparing to return for a second encore when the ceiling fell, generating a deafening noise and filling the venue with plumes of dust. The debris, which crushed much of the band’s instruments, also narrowly missed hitting audience members in the first rows.
