From the Woodstock Opera House web site:
"The Opera House was built in 1889 to house the library, council room, justice court, fire department & second floor auditorium for the City of Woodstock.
The Patti Rosa Company provided the inaugural performance of MARGERY DAW on Thursday September 4, 1890. “The scenic effects were excellent, and in every way the affair was a brilliant success.” (The Sentinel)
The Opera House became McHenry County’s center for entertainment and hospitality. Touring vaudeville, minstrel and dramatic companies provided diversion after a week’s labor. As part of City Hall local farmers’ wives chatted among themselves in the “parlor” while husbands would conduct their business.
When the traveling circuits disappeared in the early twentieth century, the Opera House became the site for the Chicago-area’s first, however short-lived, summer stock theatre. Produced in 1934 by Roger Hill, headmaster of Woodstock’s Todd School for Boys, the Shakespeare plays starred his young student, Orson Welles. Welles was joined by Michael MacLiammoir and Luisse Prussing, who also established international reputation as classical actors.
In 1947 a group of citizens formed and supported the Woodstock Players. For several years the Players, provided acting experience
for students graduation from the Goodman School. Now-famous personalities Paul Newman, Tom Bosley, Betsy Palmer, Geraldine Page, Shelley Berman and Lois Nettleton were among the more notable personalities.
The Opera House continues to be a venue for top national and international acts. It remains a home for local performers and a training ground for many new talents. Today the facility is still making living history as it has done since its inception in 1890.
The Opera House today
The Woodstock Opera House hosts a spectacular variety of programming and events each year including: concerts, Theatre, Dance, Visual Art, Educational programming, Lectures, Meetings, Receptions and more. Situated on the downtown historic square in Woodstock, the Opera House is one of the oldest continuously operating theatres in the country and one of the most recognized historic theatres in the mid-west. Its
long history as the cultural center for McHenry county is surpassed only by the beauty of its architecture and the quality of its patrons and supporters.
The Opera House is a fully modernized theatre, without sacrificing its historical authenticity. It features contemporary sound, lighting, stage rigging, heating, air-conditioning and other amenities. In addition, the Opera House is equipped with a state of the art Box Office as well as a beautifully decorated reception area, the very popular, Stage Left Café.
The Opera House is owned and operated by the City of Woodstock and is dedicated to the promotion and support of the Theatrical Arts in northern Illinois.
Architectural Notes:
Erected in 1889, the Opera House was designed and constructed by Elgin based architect Smith Hoag at a cost of $25,000. The construction materials are mostly of local origin including limestone, terra cotta, fieldstone, white brick and sandstone. Its architectural style is a mixture of late Victorian era tastes combined with Early American, Midwestern, Gothic & even Moorish elements. The interior is modeled after the showboats of the time, with dimensions and decorations that imitate many of those grand floating theatres.
In 1960 the Junior Civic Arts League invested time and effort to battle the increasing deterioration of the auditorium and stage. The Woodstock Fine Arts Association was formed in 1961 with the purpose of restoring the Opera House through the next decade.
In 1972 the Opera House was declared a “landmark” by the city and the Woodstock Opera House Community Center, Inc. was formed to raise funds for a restoration effort. The Opera House was later closed for two years of restoration work. It reopened in February 1977 and was renamed the Woodstock Opera House Community Center. Additional restoration projects were finished over the next twenty years and the Opera House was considered fully restored with the final addition of the front Portico in 1999.
The building continues to be owned & proudly maintained by the City of Woodstock & local residents. It features historic furnishings, stained glass windows, tin ceilings, original woodwork and hand drawn stencil ornamentations.
In 2003 a new annex was completed and added to the Opera House on its adjacent lot. It provides disability access to the stage, a freight elevator, additional back stage areas, offices and the Stage Left Café. This important addition ensures a new century of performances and an artistic outlet to service the people of McHenry County and northern Illinois."