The Lake Benton Opera House has been a part of the community since the the late 1890’s. \u00a0Since then, it has grown to be a center for a variety of activities, including concerts, plays, and graduation ceremonies. \u00a0However, it is more than just a building. \u00a0It brings people from the community and surrounding communities together. \u00a0Friendships are made, good times are had, and people have the ability to enjoy and be a part of the fine arts. \u00a0It is a treasure to our community, and one that needs to be cherished.<\/p>\n
After World War II, the Opera House began to be used less and less. \u00a0The television had been invented, and people were losing interest in the building. \u00a0It fell into disrepair and was scheduled to be demolished in the 1970’s. \u00a0However, a small group of community members that still believed in the Opera House formed a Restoration Committee to bring it back to its original luster. \u00a0Operation: Restoration had begun. \u00a0Led by Charles and Lois Lukens, a small group of prominent community members, including Dorothy Rourke and Jean Carr, promoted the Opera House by publishing editorials in local papers, holding benefit dances, and providing open houses for others to see what the Opera House means for the community. \u00a0Charles Lukens did many of the physical jobs required to restore the Opera House, including installing a new light board and helping to put in new chairs for members of the audience. \u00a0Lukens also worked with the SDSU theatre department to see what kind of equipment a successful theatre would need. \u00a0After working tirelessly to bring theatre back to the community, the Opera House opened again in 1974. \u00a0It was a great success, and the Opera House’s popularity surged. \u00a0After only three performances of Arsenic & Old Lace<\/i> (1974), the patron count was up to 600. \u00a0This Restoration Committee, a small team of people devoted to the Opera House, was able to convince the community that the Opera House was worth saving.<\/p>\n
The Opera House was on the brink of being closed for good, yet a few devoted community members saw the potential the building still had to offer. \u00a0They did everything in their power to keep the spirit of community theatre alive in Lake Benton, and they were successful; the Opera House has been putting on at least six shows a year ever since their campaign started. \u00a0However, what many people do not realize is that history is repeating itself. \u00a0The Opera House has suffered some financial blows that have made it nearly impossible for the building to run efficiently. \u00a0Combine that with the substantially declining numbers in attendance at shows and one can see the Opera House is, in other words, \u201cdown on its luck\u201d. \u00a0If things do not change, if the Opera House cannot make a profit, there could be a possibility of closure in the near future.<\/p>\n
For the members of the community that are active in the Opera House, this is a devastating thought. \u00a0The Opera House is a place of creativity, of expressing oneself. \u00a0It has been the home of a number of aspiring actors and performers. \u00a0For example, Kaila Tingle, an American Idol contestant, discovered her love of the stage when she auditioned for the Lake Benton Opera House’s production of \u201cCinderella\u201d back in 2007. \u00a0Since then, she has released her debut album and has come back to pay tribute to the Opera House by holding a benefit concert earlier this summer. \u00a0I myself became interested in theatre because of working at the Opera House. \u00a0The experience I have earned there has earned me scholarships in theatre, and I’m grateful to the Opera House for giving me that chance. \u00a0Sonya Karels, a Minneota native, also credits the Opera House as being a place of origin for her performing arts career. \u00a0Karels is currently one of a select number of students accepted at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. \u00a0She previously starred in a variety of short films in Los Angeles as well as making an appearance on the hit TV show \u201cGlee\u201d. \u00a0While doing theatre at her local high school, she also came to the Opera House for several summers to perform and do the choreography for several musicals. \u00a0When asked what she describes the Opera House as, she gives a sweet smile and a simple answer: Home.<\/p>\n
Karels’ answer is the opinion that many of the Opera House alums hold. \u00a0It is a home to them, a home for their theatre family. \u00a0Yet the building isn’t just for thespians. \u00a0The building is on the National Register for Historic Places. \u00a0It is something that makes our community unique. \u00a0Often I have spoken to people from outside communities and counties, and, upon saying I am from Lake Benton, they respond with \u201cOh, you have that wonderful old Opera House!\u201d \u00a0We probably take it for granted, but it is something Lake Benton is lucky to have. \u00a0It is a building of recognition, a facility of distinction, and one that ought to be revered and preserved.<\/p>\n
Looking back to the first time the Opera House was in dire straights, the solution to the problem was community support. \u00a0Once again, the solution comes in a one-word answer: community. \u00a0If we, as a community, can realize all that the Opera House has to offer, we can keep the building going. \u00a0If we can see what it has done for young artists and what it can continue to do for the community, we can save the Opera House. \u00a0There have been a few people in the community that have done a tremendous amount to help the Opera House because of what it is worth to Lake Benton. \u00a0One person of distinction was Carol Mensen. \u00a0Carol spent countless hours at the Opera House cleaning and making sure that it was in perfect condition for a performance. \u00a0She donated her time and her money to that building because, to her, it wasn’t just \u201cthat building\u201d. \u00a0It was a place that she believed in, a place for the community to enjoy together, and it is a place where she will always be remembered. \u00a0Yet she was only one person. \u00a0If one person could make that much of a difference, could give that much, how much of a difference could a community as a whole make? \u00a0The Opera House will only thrive as long as there is a community backing it up. \u00a0You cannot have \u201ccommunity theatre\u201d without \u201ccommunity\u201d.<\/p>\n
Now I understand that the theatre isn’t for everybody. \u00a0Not everyone likes to act. \u00a0Not everyone likes to work backstage. \u00a0Community support doesn’t necessarily mean auditioning for a show or building a set. \u00a0Community support could be promoting the Opera House in your own place of business. \u00a0Community support could be volunteering for one of the various committees the Opera House has. \u00a0Community support could even be as simple as attending the shows. \u00a0As an actor, I love a good audience. \u00a0However, the audience members that affect me the most are the ones who aren’t related to someone in the cast, the ones who come just because they want to see the show or they want to support community theatre. \u00a0The audience members who come to support the community are so vital to the Opera House’s success, and for anyone that’s ever been one of those audience members, I truly thank you.<\/p>\n
Our community is a small, tight-knit one. \u00a0I’ve always liked that about Lake Benton. \u00a0We are neighbors, we can rely on each other. \u00a0We celebrate together in our times of triumph, and we rely on each other in times of struggle. \u00a0We are, in essence, a family. \u00a0The Opera House buys its supplies from local businesses to support that family. \u00a0The cycle cannot stop there, however. \u00a0Now it is the community’s turn to support the Lake Benton Opera House.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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