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 The Opera House was built in 1889 to
house the library, council room, justice court, fire department & second floor auditorium for the City of Woodstock.
The Patti Rosa Company provided the inaugural performance of MARGERY DAW on Thursday September 4, 1890. “The scenic effects were excellent, and in every way the affair was a brilliant success.” (The Sentinel)
The Opera House became McHenry County’s center for entertainment and hospitality. Touring vaudeville, minstrel and dramatic companies provided diversion after a week’s labor. As part of City Hall local farmers’ wives chatted among themselves in the “parlor” while husbands would conduct their business.
When the traveling circuits disappeared in the early twentieth century, the Opera House became the site for the Chicago-area’s first, however short-lived, summer stock theatre. Produced in
1934 by Roger Hill, headmaster of Woodstock’s Todd School for Boys, the Shakespeare plays starred his young student, Orson Welles. Welles was joined by Michael MacLiammoir and Luisse Prussing, who also established international reputation as
classical actors.
 In 1947 a group of citizens formed and supported the Woodstock Players. For several years the Players, provided acting experience
for students graduation
from the Goodman School. Now-famous personalities
Paul Newman, Tom Bosley, Betsy Palmer, Geraldine Page, Shelley Berman and Lois Nettleton were among the more notable personalities.
The Opera House continues to be a venue for top national and international acts. It remains a home for local performers and a training ground for many new talents. Today the facility is still making living history as it has done since its inception in 1890.
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Simon Brink, the contractor of the City Hall & Opera House, had long been con-nected with the City
of Woodstock.
His uncle, John Brink, came through this area in the 1830s as a government surveyor. He was the first white man known to see Lake Geneva,
which he named for
his own New York
lake, Geneva.
Simon, along with other settlers from "York State", arrived here in 1840.
He married Amy Schryver in 1856. They left for Iowa
in 1860 where he joined the Iowa Volunteers. Among
the 15 battles of the Civil War he engaged in were Chickasaw
and Vicksburg. At
the close of the war the family returned
to Woodstock to
make his home
here and work as a "carpenter & joiner." Here he raised five sons. He was City Clerk, postmaster
and contractor for
the City Hall. He
died in 1897.  |
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The Woodstock Opera House hosts a spectacular variety of programming and events
each year including: concerts, Theatre, Dance, Visual Art, Educational programming,
Lectures, Meetings, Receptions and more. Situated on the downtown historic square
in Woodstock, the Opera House is one of the oldest continuously operating theatres
in the country and one of the most recognized historic theatres in the mid-west. Its
long history as the cultural center for McHenry county is surpassed only by the beauty
of its architecture and the quality of its patrons and supporters.
 The Opera House is a fully modernized theatre,
without sacrificing its historical authenticity. It
features contemporary sound, lighting, stage
rigging, heating, air-conditioning and other
amenities. In addition, the Opera House is
equipped with a state of the art Box Office as
well as a beautifully decorated reception area,
the very popular, Stage Left Café.
The Opera House is owned and operated by the City of Woodstock and is dedicated
to the promotion and support of the Theatrical Arts in northern Illinois.
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Erected in 1889, the Opera House was designed and constructed
by Elgin based architect Smith Hoag at a cost of $25,000. The
construction materials are mostly of local origin including lime-
stone, terra cotta, fieldstone, white brick and sandstone. Its  architectural style is a mixture of
late Victorian era tastes combined
with Early American, Midwestern,
Gothic & even Moorish elements.
The interior is modeled after the
showboats of the time, with
dimensions and decorations that
imitate many of those grand
floating theatres.
In 1960 the Junior Civic Arts League invested time and effort to battle the increasing deterioration of the auditorium and stage. The Woodstock Fine Arts Association was formed in 1961 with the purpose of restoring the Opera House through the next decade.
In 1972 the Opera House was declared a “landmark” by the city and the Woodstock Opera House Community Center, Inc. was formed to raise funds for a restoration effort. The Opera House was later closed for two years of restoration work. It reopened in February 1977 and was renamed the Woodstock Opera House Community Center. Additional restoration projects were finished over the next twenty years and the Opera House was considered fully restored with the final addition of the front Portico in 1999.
The building continues to be owned & proudly maintained by the City of Woodstock & local residents. It features historic furnishings, stained glass windows, tin ceilings, original woodwork and hand drawn stencil ornamentations.
In 2003 a new annex was completed and added to the Opera House on its adjacent lot. It provides disability access to the stage, a freight elevator, additional back stage areas, offices and the Stage Left Café. This important addition ensures a new century of performances and an artistic outlet to service the people of McHenry County and northern Illinois.
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