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COLUMBUS — The Save Our Opera House campaign has been making steady progress towards returning the Stafford Opera House to operation; a fact that was revealed at their recent event held in the Buddy Rau room on Thursday, April 4.
CHPT President Julie Prause and Executive Director Melissa Parker provided updates on the state of the opera house and their upcoming goals.
In terms of repairs already completed, the contractors hired for restoration put the finishing touches on the third-floor restrooms which will likely be used by the artists, actors and musicians performing on stage.
The roof and the elevator were also key topics as around $600,000 was put towards restoring these and other key features of the opera house. CHPT’s next focus is on restoring the electrical work for the elevator and altering its appearance to better match the aesthetic of the rest of the building.
The contractors as well as period experts within CHPT have committed to making the restorations in the style of the late 1800s when the opera house was originally built.
A crowd of opera house supporters gathered to listen to updates on the reconstruction and a keynote speaker discussing the fine arts. The Columbus Historical Preservation Trust hosted the event featuring a spread provided by Chef Raul and his staff.
The program titled “Curtain Call Conversations” was a highlight of a medium that CHPT hopes will one day soon populate the performance stages of the opera house: musicals.
Featured speaker Debra Dickinson presented “From Stage to Screen”, a speech about some of the most iconic musical plays in history and their successful counterparts on the movie screen. As plays and musicals are likely to be feature performances once the opera house is fully in operation, the message was timely and appropriate.
Dickson will return for two other presentations: on April 24, she will discuss “Girl Power on Broadway” and on May 23, she will discuss “Hammerstein to Sondheim, A Creative Legacy.” Contact CHPT at 979-732-5135 to learn how to attend.
CHPT will be hosting more events as the opera house nears its total restoration. The projected dates for summer shows include various performers as the stage of the opera house returns to use. On June 22, the play “Ann” will be performed followed by a live dog show on July 18, a country western band in August and a comedian on Sept. 7.
For more information on CHPT or to find out how to donate or become a member, visit www.columbushpt. com.
