THANK YOU TO OUR MAJOR SEASON SPONSORS!
| Mission:
Our mission is to fill our patrons' hearts and souls with joy through entertaining, enlightening and educational programming developed with an Arts for All philosophy and to preserve our historic theatre as a cherished legacy for our children and grandchildren. Vision:
Our vision is to continue to grow as a premier regional performing arts venue, to offer our stage for community events and to shine as our community's most precious jewel, while positively impacting the lives of our patrons and the economic health of our downtown. History:
The new Rochester City Hall and Opera House combination was revealed to the public on Memorial Day 1908. Well known architect and Rochester native, George Gilman Adams, designed a magnificent theatre with stunning architectural details...horseshoe balcony, grand proscenium, intricate stenciling, near-perfect acoustics. Adams invented a unique mechanism that raises the auditorium floor at an incline for amphitheater seating or levels the floor for dancing. By 1984 the Opera House, an "elegant new theatre" and source of civic pride in 1908, lay in ruins. No one remembered how to operate or where to locate the floor mechanism. No one remembered the intricate stenciling and murals hidden behind layers of paint. The community dream to restore this once shining community treasure seemed impossible. In 1996 Mayor Harvey E. Bernier, Jr. launched the Rochester Opera House Restoration Project. The dream became reality with a monumental, mainly volunteer, community effort for which the City of Rochester received the 1997 Governor's Award in the Arts for Community Spirit. The Rochester Opera House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is the only theatre with a moveable auditorium floor mechanism that remains in the country today. Learn more fascinating details about the twists and turns of fate in the history of the Rochester Opera House and about George Gilman Adams' intriguing mechanism.
History: The Dramatic, Sometimes Miraculous Hundred Year Journey
of the Rochester Opera House Last Moving Floor: Details the unique mechanism that raises and levels the
auditorium floor of the Rochester Opera House. Enjoy a Video Tour of the Rochester Opera House and The Last Moving Floor in Action Program Description:
Rochester Opera House, an historic landmark ensconced within Rochester City Hall, is a charitable and educational organization presenting live entertainment to patrons from several hundred New England cities and towns. Five distinct series are designed to appeal to all ages and interests. This historic theatre, built in 1908, is the only one of its kind in the country with a moveable floor leveling mechanism, allowing for diverse flat floor events. Arts & Education Series: Designed especially for students in grades K-12. "A stimulating series that is unique and often offers youth their first taste of live theater." Karen Pollard, Economic Development Manager, City of Rochester
Family Series: Mainstage Series: Theatre Series: Dance Party Series: - The auditorium turns into a dance hall (with the seats removed and the floor leveled) for partying to rock 'n' roll, big bands and everything in between.
Summer Theatre Camp: - Four two-week sessions for ages four through teens offering lessons in acting, dancing, singing, set design, costume design, directing, lighting and sound.
- Camps culminate with a performance for families and the public.
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