Restoration of the Woodland Opera House, which had been closed and boarded up since 1917, commenced in earnest in 1971. Dozens of dedicated men and women joined in the initial planning and renovation efforts, as well as fundraising. These people were instrumental in the early efforts to restore the Opera House to the historic jewel it is today. In those early years the dedicated volunteers performed a wide variety of tasks such as leading tours of the theatre, putting on musical fundraising events, running the lighting on and off stage, sweeping the floors, turning the furnace on and off, raising and lowering the curtain, setting up folding chairs for seating, and setting up the stage for performances.

Volunteers recall walking through the theatre with a California State Archaeologist to designate archived areas of paint, wallpaper, graffiti, and wood-tone color that would later be covered in Lucite pieces to preserve those historic spots. The Lucite-covered spots are still shown during tours of the Opera House. Bottles and artifacts were found in the dingy, dusty basement when they crawled through it. Some of those items are displayed in the Museum Rooms in the theatre.

Many thanks to Becky Holland, former Guild President and current Board member, for sharing this. We are grateful for all of those who epitomize our BDOG theme of “Springing into Action.” If they had not done so, the theatre may have never reopened!

Please join us tomorrow, May 4th, for Big Day of Giving. Your donation to the Woodland Opera House will help to preserve everything we do, for both the education and enjoyment of future generations. Donate using the button below or come by the theatre, we'll be open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. for your convenience.

We also have a special Thursday night performance of Young Frankenstein set for 7:30 p.m. If you haven't seen this hilarious show yet, get tickets and come on down!

Online tickets can be found HERE, or call our Box Office at (530) 666-9617.

Big Day of Giving