Barre Opera House
Encyclopedia
The Barre Opera House is an opera house
located in Barre, Vermont
. It was built to replace the Barre City Hall/Opera House which burned down in 1898.
, Eugene V. Debs
, George M. Cohan
, Emma Goldman
, John Philip Sousa
and Tom Mix
graced its stage. In 1912, two presidential candidates made speeches from the outer balcony: William Howard Taft
and Theodore Roosevelt
.
and World War II, the opera house served mainly as a movie house. However, as other movie theater
s were being built in and around Barre, the opera house was forced to close in January 1944. It would lie vacant for nearly 40 years.
seating. Perhaps most importantly, the seating capacity
was raised by 50% to 649, more than half of the original capacity. The renovations, which have already cost the community nearly 2 million dollars, are still ongoing, with another $400,000 of improvements still needed.
, rising opera star Disella Larusdottir, and Robert De Cormier
have performed in it in recent years. Many plays are performed each year as well, such as Gilbert and Sullivan
's Pirates of Penzance.
The opera house is the central venue of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra
, as well as the local theater company, The Barre Players, and is renowned for its acoustic purity.
The Opera House was mentioned in a National Geographic feature on towns in America.
44.1967052°N 72.5018156°W
Opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...
located in Barre, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. It was built to replace the Barre City Hall/Opera House which burned down in 1898.
Beginnings
The new opera house, designed by George G. Adams, was constructed to replace the old one, and was finished on August 23, 1899. At the time of its opening, there were 1000 seats. For the following decades, the opera house served as a performance space for plays and many other forms of entertainment. People such as Helen KellerHelen Keller
Helen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree....
, Eugene V. Debs
Eugene V. Debs
Eugene Victor Debs was an American union leader, one of the founding members of the International Labor Union and the Industrial Workers of the World , and several times the candidate of the Socialist Party of America for President of the United States...
, George M. Cohan
George M. Cohan
George Michael Cohan , known professionally as George M. Cohan, was a major American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, and producer....
, Emma Goldman
Emma Goldman
Emma Goldman was an anarchist known for her political activism, writing and speeches. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe in the first half of the twentieth century....
, John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition, he is known as "The March King" or the "American March King" due to his British counterpart Kenneth J....
and Tom Mix
Tom Mix
Thomas Edwin "Tom" Mix was an American film actor and the star of many early Western movies. He made a reported 336 films between 1910 and 1935, all but nine of which were silent features...
graced its stage. In 1912, two presidential candidates made speeches from the outer balcony: William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
and Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
.
30's, 40's, and Closing
During the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and World War II, the opera house served mainly as a movie house. However, as other movie theater
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
s were being built in and around Barre, the opera house was forced to close in January 1944. It would lie vacant for nearly 40 years.
Re-opening
Due to significant community support, the Barre Opera House re-opened in October 1982. However, it was in an advanced state of disrepair; windows were broken, few seats were left, and the outdated heating system did not function.Renovation
For a decade after its reopening, the opera house underwent a series of small renovations which added curtains, stage lights, and a working heating system. In 1993, funds were raised for a massive renovation which added an elevator and balconyBalcony
Balcony , a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade.-Types:The traditional Maltese balcony is a wooden closed balcony projecting from a...
seating. Perhaps most importantly, the seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
was raised by 50% to 649, more than half of the original capacity. The renovations, which have already cost the community nearly 2 million dollars, are still ongoing, with another $400,000 of improvements still needed.
Today
More than 20,000 people attend events at the opera house annually. Many major artists, such as Noel StookeyNoel Stookey
Noel Paul Stookey is a singer-songwriter best known as "Paul" in the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary. He took the stage name "Paul" as part of the trio Peter, Paul and Mary, but he has been known as Noel otherwise, throughout his life...
, rising opera star Disella Larusdottir, and Robert De Cormier
Robert De Cormier
Robert DeCormier is an American musical conductor, arranger, and director, and a graduate of the Juilliard School. He has arranged music for many singers and groups, including Harry Belafonte and Peter, Paul, and Mary, and has worked with Milt Okun. DeCormier is perhaps most famous for his...
have performed in it in recent years. Many plays are performed each year as well, such as Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
's Pirates of Penzance.
The opera house is the central venue of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra
Vermont Symphony Orchestra
The Vermont Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in, and supported in part by, the U.S. state of Vermont. It is a 501 corporation. It is one of the few, and the oldest, state-supported symphony orchestras in the United States....
, as well as the local theater company, The Barre Players, and is renowned for its acoustic purity.
The Opera House was mentioned in a National Geographic feature on towns in America.
External links
- Barre Opera House - official website
44.1967052°N 72.5018156°W