Howells Opera House is a historic opera house located in Oakley, Idaho, on Blaine Street. The opera house is registered with the Idaho State Historical Society.[1] The Opera house was built by the first prosecuting attorney for Cassia County, Judge B.P. (Benjamin Price) Howells.[2] The building construction began in 1904 and was completed in 1907 for the cost of $22,000 ($757,000 adjusted for inflation today). The opera House is currently owned and operated by the Oakley Valley Arts Council. It has been known by several names, including the Oakley Playhouse (c. 1907), Cassia County Playhouse (c. 1929), and most notably as the Howells Opera House.

Howells Opera house 2022

Description

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The opera house has a square gable false front with a central door flanked by segmental-arched openings. The building was constructed using a local variety of quartzite referred to as Oakley stone.[3] The performance floor features seating for around 300 people.[4]

Performance history

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The Oakley Valley Arts Council has kept a record of performances from 1974 to the present. Past performances include such operas as The Diary of Anne Frank, The Mikado, and The Pirates of Penzance.[5]

History (ѧ denotes an opera performance)
Year March July November
1974 Fiddler on the Roof
1975
1976 Title of Liberty
1977
1978 Oklahoma!
1979
1980
1981 Hello, Dolly!
1982 Annie Get Your Gun
1983 Oliver!
1984 The Sound of Music
1985 My Fair Lady
1986 Paint Your Wagon
1987 Annie
1988 Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
1989 The Music Man
1990 South Pacific Critic's Choice
1991 Oklahoma! Arsenic and Old Lace
1992 Kiss Me, Kate
1993 Guys and Dolls The Golden Fleecing Steel Magnolias
1994 The Unsinkable Molly Brown The Wizard of Oz The Foreigner
1995 The King and I Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Blithe Spirit
1996 Calamity Jane The Pirates of Penzance ѧ Nunsense
1997 Camelot Bye Bye Birdie The Odd Couple
1998 The Mikado ѧ Cinderella Forever Plaid
1999 Fiddler on the Roof Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Charley's Aunt
2000 The Sound of Music Into the Woods Nunsense II
2001 Once Upon a Mattress Damn Yankees Nuncrackers
2002 You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
2003 The Fantasticks Annie Get Your Gun You Can't Take It with You
2004 Annie The Ark The Diary of Anne Frank ѧ
2005 Guys and Dolls Crazy for You The Secret Garden
2006 West Side Story Tom Sawyer Harvey
2007 Hello, Dolly! Oklahoma! Little Shop of Horrors
2008 Frog and Toad Seussucal the Musical Plaid Tidings
2009 Oliver! Paint Your Wagon
2010 The Pirates of Penzance ѧ Bye Bye Birdie The Nerd
2011 Singin' in the Rain Footloose Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol
2012 Dear Edwina The Wizard of Oz White Christmas
2013 Arsenic and Old Lace Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Clue
2014 The 39 Steps Once Upon a Mattress Scrooge!
2015 Meshuggah-nuns! Who Shot Pablito Chanchito? It's a Wonderful Life ѧ
2016 Something's Afoot! Calamity Jane Curtains
2017 Tom Sawyer Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat The Man Who Came to Dinner
2018 Walking Happy Annie The Christmas Schooner
2019 Greater Tuna Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Forever Plaid
2020 A Christmas Story The Scarlet Pimpernel Let's Murder Marsha
2021 A Christmas Story The Scarlett Pimpernel Let's Murder Marsha

Oakley Valley Arts Council

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During the 1970s, when the opera house had fallen into a state of disrepair and demolition of the house was being discussed, the performing arts community within Oakley formed the Oakley Valley Arts Council and purchased the house. Today the Oakley Valley Arts Council continues to put on seasonal performances here.

Ghostlore

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The opera house is the subject of several ghostlore stories.[2][6] One story suggests that there is a female apparition with black hair who can be seen watching the performances from behind the stage.[7] Another story relates that an older gentleman's ghost can be seen stalking the grounds of the house, with some variations suggesting that this particular ghost is that of original owner, Benjamin Howells.[8]

References

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  1. ^ Idaho, Access. "Home". Idaho State Historical Society. Archived from the original on 2016-04-17. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
  2. ^ a b Weeks, Andy (2012). Ghosts of Idaho's Magic Valley Hauntings and Lore. Chicago: Arcadia Publishing Inc. ISBN 978-1-61423-682-5. OCLC 1281985176.
  3. ^ Kelly, James P. (2015). Moon Idaho. Chicago: Avalon Travel. ISBN 978-1-63121-016-7. OCLC 971366268. Archived from the original on 2022-06-10. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
  4. ^ "Howells Opera House in Oakley, ID - Cinema Treasures". cinematreasures.org. Archived from the original on 2020-03-11. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
  5. ^ "Shows". Oakley Valley Arts Council. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  6. ^ Weeks, Andy (2013). Haunted Idaho : ghosts and strange phenomena of the Gem State (1st ed.). Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. ISBN 978-0-8117-4980-0. OCLC 860712361. Archived from the original on 2022-06-10. Retrieved 2022-06-10.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. ^ "Howells Opera House". Visit Southern Idaho. Archived from the original on 2021-12-23. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
  8. ^ "Howells Opera House". IdahoHauntedHouses.com. Archived from the original on 2021-04-15. Retrieved 2022-06-10.

42°14′40″N 113°53′03″W / 42.24442°N 113.88417°W / 42.24442; -113.88417