Howells Opera House
# Howells Opera House

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. The Opera house was built by the first prosecuting attorney for Cassia County, Judge B.P. (Benjamin Price) Howells. 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.

## Description

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. The performance floor features seating for around 300 people.

## Performance history

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.

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

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

The opera house is the subject of several ghostlore stories. One story suggests that there is a female apparition with black hair who can be seen watching the performances from behind the stage. 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.

