[ music ] >> WE'RE IN THE REGION KNOWN AS THE LITTLE CITIES OF BLACK DIAMONDS.

THE NAME WAS GIVEN TO THE CITIES IN OHIO, THE COAL MINING TOWNS.

AFTER ABOUT 1920, THEY FELL ON KIND OF HARD TIMES AFTER THE COAL INDUSTRY BEGAN TO DECLINE, BUT THERE'S DEFINITELY A RECOVERY TAKING PLACE.

WE'RE SEEING NEW INVESTMENT, NEW BUSINESSES.

SO WE'RE GOING TO VISIT NELSONVILLE TODAY AND VISIT ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BUILDINGS IN TOWN.

STUART'S OPERA HOUSE, WHICH IS WELL OVER 100 YEARS OLD.

WE'RE GOING TO SEE WHAT AN OLD TIME OPERA HOUSE WAS LIKE AND HOW IT SURVIVES TODAY.

[ music ] >> HELLO, HOW ARE YOU?

WELCOME.

>> THANKS SO MUCH FOR INVITING US.

THIS IS QUITE A SPACE.

>> IT IS.

YOU ARE STANDING IN THE GRAND LOBBY OF STUART'S OPERA HOUSE.

THIS SPACE IS A MULTIPURPOSE SPACE.

LOBBIES FOR SHOWS THAT HAPPEN IN THE OPERA HOUSE AS WELL AS WEDDINGS AND OTHER COMMUNITY EVENTS.

>> SO THIS IS A NEW SPACE, BUT VERY HISTORIC BUILDING.

>> VERY.

IT WAS BUILT BY GEORGE STUART WHO RAN A SHOW BOAT ON THE CANAL SYSTEM HERE IN SOUTHEAST OHIO.

THE SHOW BOAT SANK IN THE CANAL.

HE CAME BACK TO NELSONVILLE AND WAS MARRIED TODAY A MEMBER OF THE DEW FAMILY HERE IN NELSONVILLE.

THEY OWN THIS PROPERTY HERE AND HE BUILT THIS OPERA HOUSE IN 1879.

>> WAS OPERA ACTUALLY PERFORMED HERE?

>> NO, SO THE INTERESTING THING, HISTORY OF OPERA HOUSES IN SOUTHEAST OHIO WERE THAT THEY WERE OFTEN STYLED SIMILARLY IN ARCHITECTURAL TERMS AS FAR AS OPERA HOUSES IN EUROPE.

THEY WERE CALLED OPERA HOUSES BECAUSE IT SORT OF ELEVATED THEM CULTURALLY AND AESTHETICALLY ABOVE THEATRE.

SO OBVIOUSLY THEATRE WAS A MAJOR THING THAT WAS HAPPENING IN THOSE SPACES, BUT THEY WERE ALSO COMMUNITY CENTERS.

SO THERE WOULD BE FAMILY REUNIONS, HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATIONS.

THERE WAS EVEN A BOXING MATCH THAT HAPPENED UP IN STUART'S OPERA HOUSE.

>> LUCKY TO HAVE IT.

SO MANY COMMUNITIES HAVE LOST THEM.

BUT FORTUNATELY YOU HAVE YOURS.

>> WE DO.

IT OPENED IN 1879.

RAN UNTIL ABOUT 1942.

WHAT WAS HAPPENING AT THAT TIME WAS THE RISE IN MOTION PICTURES SO A LOT OF OPERA HOUSES HAD TO PIVOT BECAUSE THE DEMAND FOR ENTERTAINMENT WAS CHANGING.

MY UNDERSTANDING WAS STUART DID ATTEMPT TO BECOME A MOTION PICTURE, BUT THERE WERE TWO OTHERS ON THE PUBLIC SQUARE HERE.

IT CLOSED IN 1924 AND LITERALLY THE OWNERS LOCKED THE DOOR AND WALKED AWAY LEAVING EVERYTHING IN THAT SPACE, WHICH IS ON THE SECOND FLOOR ABOVE US.

>> HOW LONG DID IT SIT UNUSED?

>> UNTIL THE MID '70s.

THAT'S A LONG TIME FOR A COMMUNITY TO BE DISCONNECTED FROM ONE OF THE BIGGEST BUILDINGS ON THEIR PUBLIC SQUARE.

A SMALL GROUP OF CITIZENS IN NELSONVILLE RECOGNIZED ITS VALUE.

THE DECISION WAS MADE TO FORM A NON-PROFIT AROUND THE THEATRICAL HISTORY THAT WAS PRESERVED AND OPEN IT UP AS A PERFORMING VENUE, WHICH THEY DID IN THE LATE '70s.

>> GLAD TO LEARN SO MUCH ABOUT THE BUILDING, BUT I IMAGINE THERE'S MORE.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

FOLLOW ME.

>> OKAY.

[ music ] >> WELCOME TO THE HISTORIC GREEN ROOM.

>> IT'S NOT GREEN, BUT PRETTY IMPRESSIVE.

>> IT'S A SPACE WHERE THE ARTISTS COME SO THEY CAN GET READY, BE SPOILED, EAT, SHOWER, DO WHAT THEY NEED TO DO BEFORE THEY GET ON STAGE AND PERFORM FOR EVERYONE.

>> I DID SEE SOME OLD POSTERS.

TELL ME ABOUT THOSE.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

SO WE ARE REALLY FORTUNATE TO HAVE THOSE.

THOSE ARE YOU KNOW, ROUGHLY TURN OF THE CENTURY LATE 1800s, SO TRAVELING THEATRE GROUPS WOULD COME UP THE THEATRE SYSTEM, TRAVEL FROM TOWN TO TOWN AND PUT UP PLAY BILLS AND FLIERS OF THEIR UPCOMING PERFORMANCES.

THESE WOULD ORIGINALLY ADORN THE BACK WALL OF THE STAGE, WHICH WE LOST IN A FIRE, HOWEVER, THIS GREEN ROOM WAS NOT AFFECTED BY THE FIRE.

SO WE ARE VERY, VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE WHAT FEW ORIGINAL PLAY BILLS THAT WE HAVE.

>> TELL ME ABOUT THE BALCONY AND THESE SLIDING DOORS.

>> THOSE ARE ORIGINAL DIRECTING ROOMS.

THEY WERE NUMBERED 6 THROUGH 12.

THE OTHER SET WOULD HAVE BEEN ALONG THE BACKSTAGE OF THE THEATRE.

THOSE SUFFERED A FATE IN THE FIRE.

>> ALL THE POSTERS, THESE REPRESENT SHOWS THAT HAVE BEEN HERE.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

SINCE WE REOPENED, WE HAVE BECOME ONE OF THE PREMIER PRESENTING THEATRES IN SOUTHEAST OHIO SO THESE POSTERS ALL REFLECT THE LOCAL, REGIONAL, NATIONAL, INTERNATIONAL, GRAMMY AWARD WINNING, YOU NAME IT, THAT HAS PERFORMED ON THE STAGE.

>> MUSICIANS TOURING THEATRE COMPANIES.

>> WE ACTUALLY HAVE OUR OWN COMMUNITY THEATRE GROUP.

ABC PLAYERS.

THEY'LL PUT ON FOUR TO SEVEN PRODUCTIONS A YEAR.

>> SO THIS IS WHERE THE ACTOR, PERFORMERS WOULD GET READY, THEN WOULD HEAD FOR THE STAGE.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

IT'S THE MAIN ATTRACTION.

LET'S GO.

[ music ] >> THIS IS LOOKING FAMILIAR.

BRIEF ACTING CAREER IN HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE AND THAT FEELING OF WHEN YOU GET ON STAGE, THERE'S NOTHING QUITE LIKE IT.

>> THERE'S NOTHING QUITE LIKE IT, IS IT?

[ music ] >> SO IT'S A MARVELOUS SPACE.

THE BALCONY'S BEAUTIFUL.

YOU SAID THIS WAS DAMAGED IN THE FIRE.

>> YEAH, SO THE OPERA HOUSE REOPENED IN THE LATE '70s AND THE COMMUNITY WAS EXCITED.

THINGS WERE HAPPENING THEN THERE WAS A FIRE.

THE FIRE DESTROYED THE STAGE WE'RE STANDING ON NOW.

THE BOX SEATS AND THE HOUSE FLOOR.

WE STILL HAVE THE ORIGINAL SEATING BECAUSE IT HAD BEEN REMOVED FOR RESTORATION.

WE WERE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE PRESERVED THAT ASPECT OF HISTORY.

>> SO THE THEATRE IS IN ITS ORIGINAL CONFIGURATION AFTER THE RESTORATION?

>> SO, ORIGINALLY, THE HOUSE FLOOR YOU SEE NOW IS RAISED.

BACK IN THE DAY, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A FLAT FLOOR WITH NO FIXED SEATING.

AND THE PURPOSE BEHIND THAT WAS THAT THIS WAS A MULTIPURPOSE VENUE.

THERE WERE FAMILY REUNIONS HAPPENING.

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATIONS.

THEY WANTED TO BE ABLE TO CON FIGURE THE SPACE AS IT MADE SENSE FOR THE COMMUNITY.

THE OTHER FEATURE IS THE DOME IN THE HOUSE CEILING, WHICH MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE CONTRIBUTES TO THE GOOD ACOUSTICS IN THE SPACE, BUT ALSO IT WAS PROBABLY VENTILATION PRIOR TO ELECTRICITY.

SO WHEN DIFFERENT GASLIGHTING AND THINGS WERE HAPPENING IN THE HOUSE, THE FUMES NEEDED SOMEWHERE TO GO.

>> WHAT'S THE CAPACITY?

>> 395.

WE SET UP FOLDING CHAIRS IN THE BACK.

SOLD OUT SHOWS, ABOUT 450.

>> SO IT'S SAFE TO SAY YOU'RE ON A REASONABLY SOUND FINANCIAL FOOTING.

>> WE ARE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE A VERY DEDICATED MEMBERSHIP BASE.

LOCAL FOUNDATIONS THAT SUPPORT US AS WELL AS RENTAL ACTIVITIES THAT WE HAVE.

ALSO THE MUSIC FESTIVAL IS A OUTDOOR FESTIVAL THAT STUART'S PRODUCES AND THAT HAS BEEN FINANCIALLY VERY IMPORTANT.

>> SO CLEARLY, YOU'RE A BIG PART OF THE COMMUNITY.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO GET PRESERVED?

>> ECONOMICALLY, IT'S INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT TO SMALL COMMUNITIES LIKE THIS, BUT ALSO A SENSE OF PRIDE IN THE HISTORY AND CULTURAL IMPACT THAT NELSONVILLE AND STUART'S OPERA HOUSE HAS MADE.

[ music ]