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Grand vision

Akron Community Theatre Board of Directors and Akron Mayor Harold Higman, Jr., announce big plans for the refurbishment of Akron’s Opera House

No less than a revival of the turn of the century opera house experience is the goal of a group of community members in Akron. Located at the gateway to the Loess Hills in northwestern Iowa at the juncture of the railroad line and the Big Sioux River, Akron boasts one of the finest remaining opera houses from the turn of the century. And today, the community is planning to restore that opera house. The big announcement that Akron’s Opera House has a grand vision for the future was made Monday evening to a large crowd gathered outside the theater. Special guests in attendance, along with theater board members and city officials, included State Senator Dave Mulder and his wife, Dot, and Plymouth County Supervisor Jim Henrich. Special greetings were received from Senator Chuck Grassley’s office, Congressman Steve King’s office, and State Representative Chuck Soderberg. Akron Mayor Harold Higman, Jr., welcomed everyone and said, “I’m here today to give the city’s official blessing to this valuable project. Thanks to some dedicated and forward thinking individuals - the board members of the community theatre - we have another opportunity to grow culture and tourism in Akron. The community theater has been entertaining us with a few performances a year and has kept alive the fine tradition on which this opera house was started in 1906. Now today, we have a new vision for what our Akron Opera House can become.” Board of Directors President Doug Olson, said, “we are very pleased to be able to revive this tradition. We have always been proud of our opera house and its place in the hearts of community members. Now we are moving to the next phase ensuring that our opera house will thrive for another 100 years and be a cultural center for the region.” How will that happen? The group has called in the expertise of several people including the hiring of an executive director, consultant and musician, Mark Cline of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Cline has generated interest from the University of Iowa Museum Department, Iowa State Architecture and Design Schools, and the State Historical Society. “This is a huge undertaking, and I am pleased to spearhead it. When I saw a performance in the opera house, I imagined its potential right away—the place is phenomenal. The acoustics are wonderful, and I can picture the array of performances we can bring again to this wonderful historical space.” The group plans to gather resources to be able to draw professional performers from across the country—exclusive performances in theater, musicals, and children’s theater, which are not playing in larger cities a few hundred miles away. The Akron Community Theater now owns the Opera House. In September, 2004, the building was certified by the State Historical Society of Iowa as “eligible for the National Registry of Historic Places.” That official status is pending approval but speaks to the historical importance and value of the Opera House. “We want Akron to be a cultural draw again,” said Mayor Higman, “Our vision is to be able to offer live performances in a restored building.” “There’s not a bad seat in the house. The acoustics are perfect,” says Cline. “The history-rich structure is a wonderful venue for live performances—and that’s the vision—to restore quality, professional and exclusive live performances to the region.” According to Cline, lots of work will be needed to make this Opera House project possible which will include grants from local, regional, and national levels, fund-raising opportunities, volunteer work, and direct contributions and bequests. In their heyday, opera houses featured traveling troupes of musicians and actors, who rode the railway trunk lines on their way to performances in San Francisco or Denver. Small town America offered a source of revenue along the way, and opera houses were built to bring culture to these communities. Performances during that time, 1906 to the 1940’s, included lyceum speakers, medicine shows, school plays, chautauqua, music, theater, and sometimes politicians. When the original opera house performances ended during WWII, the building was closed for several years. Then, in the 1970’s, a local high school drama class and their teacher, Richard Jacobs, discovered the space and managed to get community support to clean it up. That industrious group led the revival of the old theater. Local money and sheer volunteer spirit brought theater back to the Opera House. At least one member of the Board of Directors, Nancy Ruhland, remembers those early days. She was fourteen when she played in the first revival production, “Paint Your Wagon,” in 1970. Her high school drama class and their ambitious coach led the restoration of the building, and in that year reopened the opera house with its first theater production in 30 years. Twenty-five years and hundreds of productions later, the community theater celebrated its twenty-fifth anniversary with another “Paint Your Wagon” production. Over the past 35 years, the theater group produced a long list of plays including “Paint Your Wagon,” “Mousetrap,” “Brigadoon,” “Glass Menagerie,” “Barefoot in the Park,” “Music Man,” “Dracula,” and many others. A local newspaper article about the 2006 centennial celebration noted that the theater had featured over 170 productions during its first years. Mayor Higman is thrilled with the potential of the Opera House project. “This is our chance to capitalize on a city treasure. We already have a fine local area museum, and now we will be able to create a space for an expanded repertoire of live performances, as well as a living opera museum,” said Higman. Executive Director Cline has been orchestrating a cadre of experts from across the state to support and assist with various phases of the project. The mission is to create live performance venues in a restored opera house. Cline says, “I’m most excited about the interest and support of some major players--some of the best in the state.” “I had hoped to have the Department of Cultural Affairs and State Historical Society on board, but I have also been able to tap resources with museum expertise from the University of Iowa as well as Iowa State Architecture and Design professors, architects, and coordinators, and the Sociology Department, “said Cline. As the project moves forward, Cornelia Butler Flora Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Agriculture and Life Sciences and Director, North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, who is familiar with the Opera House project, had this to say, “this exciting, mulit-faceted project uses existing community assets to build new ones to build a creative community in rural Iowa.” “To catch the interest of some of these individuals bodes well for the success of the project,” says Cline. One of the key experts is Architect Edward W. Storm, from FEH Associates Inc. in Sioux City. Storm, who specializes in historical preservation, has pronounced the building architecturally-- sound. The 1906 building is a solid architectural period piece in the Italiannate style, according to Storm. “The building is in fine shape. Because the community used the building and did not let it deteriorate, we have a sound place to start refurbishing,” said Storm. Another positive feature of the building is its orientation on a corner. That allows the building to show off its pressed brick exterior, beautiful old windows and first floor store front. The Akron Opera House was built by the American Life Insurance Company of Des Moines (on a promise that residents of Akron would buy American Life). The theater featured hand-painted scenery on three drop curtains, a proscenium arch, seating for 600, and grand staircase and balcony. What’s the difference between refurbish and restore? According to Cline, in order to restore the building, the committee would have to maintain all the historical features of the building. This would not allow the committee to create modern facilities which today’s audiences expect. “So, our main focus is to recreate the performance experience of the 1900’s—the live arts performances where community could gather and enjoy,” said Cline. In a later phase of the project, Cline hopes to create a theater museum on the first floor. The space was originally designed for businesses, and these store fronts could make an inviting museum space. Cline is hoping to help create a unique opportunity to offer a new museum experience attached to a live arts venue. “It’s such a natural match to offer the public live arts performances and then show them the history behind that tradition,” says Cline. The Pella Opera House in Pella, IA, is very similar to Akron’s Opera House and seven years ago went through a similar renovation. Akron’s board is working with Pella on several things. “Congratulations on your Akron Opera House project, and on behalf of the Pella Opera House, I wish you much success in the future. As a sister facility in the state of Iowa, I look forward to working with you in promoting the cultural and artistic standards within our great state,” said Bill White, Executive Director of Pella Opera House in a letter to the board. The three part project for the Opera House includes: restoration, rehabilitation and improving of the 1906 building; expansion of the repertoire of live performances; and the creation of an opera house museum on the first floor. The Akron community will soon discover and have an opportunity to experience this wonderful turn of the century Opera House. Cline said during Labor Day weekend, the board will announce its 2008-2009 schedule for the season. Present theater board members include Christine Armstrong, Julie Breitbarth, Joe Hook, Lance Johnson, Cristi Morey, Doug Olson, and Nancy Ruhland.

Opera House Meeting
August 10 - 7 p.m.
First National Bank Community Room

The community is invited to come Aug. 10 and meet with the board about the project and suggest any ideas.