Newberry, SC

Rebounding with the Arts

Following his debut performance at the Newberry Opera House, entertainer Roy Clark wrote on the artist wall backstage: “I don’t want to leave for fear you won’t invite me back.”

His sentiment is pervasive among those who experience the warmth and intimate surroundings of the 426-seat hall in Newberry, S.C. (pop. 10,580). Since its reopening in 1998, the 119-year-old Opera House has drawn rave reviews from patrons as well as performers.

Its eclectic roster has included Broadway touring companies, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of the Kremlin, the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, the Moscow Ballet, Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, the Peking Acrobats, Pam Tillis, Glen Campbell, Patti Page, Lou Rawls, the Glen Miller Orchestra, and the Vienna Boys’ Choir.

In addition to serving as home for South Carolina’s only professional opera company, the opera house showcases local talent with dance recitals, community chorus and high school band concerts, theatrical performances, and writers’ conferences.

These days the opera house is a hub of activity, hosting as many as 180 events a year. But on the road to its renaissance, the venerable brick structure dodged several close brushes with the wrecking ball.

Completed in 1882 for the then princely sum of $30,000, the French Gothic-inspired structure first housed the fire department, local governmental offices, and three jail cells. The second floor was built as a theater, which hosted New York plays, minstrel and variety shows, famed vocalists and lecturers, magicians, novelty acts, and boxing exhibitions.

In the 1920s, the opera house was remodeled as a movie theater. Ed Kyzer, Newberry’s current mayor, has fond boyhood memories of attending Saturday morning matinees in the 1940s. He also remembers seeing Lash LaRue, Gabby Hayes, and other cowboy heroes, who made personal appearances, often accompanied by their faithful steeds.

The theater was closed in 1952 and remained so for 40 years, until a local dentist had a vision of its hidden potential.

“Dr. James E. Wiseman and a couple of other folks in town wanted to find a way to bring this town back,” explains Deborah Smith, executive director of the Newberry Opera House Foundation. “They wanted to find a way that would reach everybody and, in a very positive way, the arts are that.”

Rallying enthusiasm, Wiseman spearheaded a fund-raising drive to restore the structure, raising nearly $6 million for renovations inside and out, while adding a wing. The result is enchantingly intimate, yet incorporates sophisticated acoustics and lighting.

“We knew that if we did it the best way we possibly could, that it would draw people. If we did it halfway, we wouldn’t really move the town forward,” Smith offers.

With the dream now a reality, the Newberry Opera House is leading the way for downtown redevelopment. A little-used park across the street from the center was revitalized, and brick streets were exposed from beneath pavement. Shops on Main Street that were vacant for 15 years are reopening as restaurants, boutiques, and spacious second-floor apartments.

“I’d say over 80 percent of our business comes from out of town,” says Steven Foulis, whose bistro opened a year before the new opera house. “Working in tandem has just been a phenomenal relationship.”

Newberry’s revitalization also is attracting new industry into this community, which is the third largest grower of orchids in the United States.

Although the economic impact of the opera house’s rebirth is significant, the aesthetic impact is, perhaps, even greater. “It’s given us a great sense of pride of what it is and what it will become,” emphasizes Jane Riggin, a retired schoolteacher who serves as director of volunteers.

“What’s been really positive for me is being able to talk to the stars of today in this building and listen to what they have to say about what we have,” smiles Mayor Kyzer. “They all just praise us and ask to come back.”

Freelance writer Michael Nolan thanks his father-in-law for limousine service to Newberry from Seneca, S.C.

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