Large construction cranes that can be seen as far away as Holiday Island are being used to build a top-notch theater and faculty housing for 24 at the Opera of the Ozarks at Inspiration Point. A $34-million grant from the Walton Family Foundation is taking the opera house to an international level.
In a press release announcing the expansion, Jim and Lynne Walton said artists have traveled to the Opera in the Ozarks for seven decades to learn and perform with other highly talented college singers and musicians.
“A new theater continues this legacy by offering generations of future musicians and singers a new stage to showcase their talents,” the Waltons wrote.
The theater that operates during the summer season is rustic and open air and can get very hot for performers in heavy costumes and stage makeup. General Director Nancy Preis said that a couple years ago they replaced stage lighting with LED lights and added air conditioning that was helpful, but not really comfortable for audiences.
“The air conditioning in the new three hundred-seat facility will make the entire theater comfortable, not just certain parts,” Preis said. She sees the new facility as not only the finest opera house in the region, but a musical Mecca.
“We will have other musical activities,” Pries said. “We are growing into being a year-long center for lifelong learning for music and allied arts. For example, we are doing programs aimed at veterans in drama therapy, music therapy and art therapy. We are partnering with the Eureka Springs School of the Arts and Drury University in Springfield, Missouri.”
Crossland Contractors began construction in February with demolition of faculty housing and practice cabins.
Always known for having a top-of-the-mountain view, Preis said the new theater will be oriented mostly east-west and have a wider view than ever.
Opera in the Ozarks is a crown jewel for Eureka Springs, according to Sandy Royce Martin, chair of the Eureka Springs Arts Council and director of the Mayor’s Task Force on Economic Development.
“The Walton’s investment is a major acknowledgement of their historic contributions, leadership and outstanding programming,” Martin said. “The new theater will solidify the future of Opera of the Ozarks as an important, year- ‘round venue for entertainment and education.”
Martin said the expansion will have a huge impact on Eureka Springs and Northwest Arkansas in two key ways: One is increasing tourism, generating direct and indirect spending, and increasing employment opportunities. It may also attract more interest for people to relocate to Eureka Springs.
The other is the artistic impact.
“The new Opera in the Ozarks will be another magnet for seasoned creatives and young artists looking for a launching pad for their careers in opera, as well as all theatrical disciplines and crafts,” Martin said.
Mayor Butch Berry has been working with Opera in the Ozarks on the planning committee since 2018, developing a master plan.
“I am so very excited to be able to be a part of this expansion,” Berry said. “This could not have been accomplished without the support of the Walton family, their foundation and the dreams of Helen Walton.”
Berry said this new facility will be the equivalent to the performing arts in Eureka Springs as Crystal Bridges Museum is to art in Bentonville.
“Opera in the Ozarks has been playing a significant role in our local economy and development of the training and talent in music education in the Eureka Springs area for more than seventy years,” Berry said. “This wonderful expansion will make Eureka Springs even more of a destination for visitors and artists interested in opera. This will increase Opera in the Ozarks to an education and performance venue that will continue to bring guests and students all year.”
Opera in the Ozarks already enjoys a national reputation in the opera field, but with this expansion, Berry predicts it will become a destination for music lovers from around the world.
Retired orthopedic surgeon Dr. Alice Martinson, who has been a volunteer for the opera since 1990, said it is very difficult for a small organization like this to bite off a project this large and transformative.
“While we are known for the opera performances, we are also providing the musical theater world with talent,” Martinson said. “I’m just so proud of these young people. Some are performing with major orchestras and on Broadway. The growth in quality of both the singers and the product has been spectacular over the years. What hasn’t grown is the physical plant that supports it. Now we are going to have the opportunity for the physical plant that will support us properly and enable us to do other things in terms of music and arts education during times of the year when Opera of the Ozarks is not operating.”
Martinson said she lies awake at night dreaming of all the things that can be done with the new facilities.
“This is going to give us the kind of facility that will bring other groups to the area,” Martinson said. “We foresee maybe veterans’ programs, senior programs or someone using the stage for Shakespeare. A list of things as long as your arm is possible now during the time the Opera of the Ozarks is not operating. It is awesome to see all the big equipment being moved around, but what’s truly awesome are the possibilities this opens for us!”
Another plan germinating is the development of continuing education courses for public school music teachers. Martinson said the area is a great location for teachers from the four-state region.
“It is just a miracle that Opera of the Ozarks has survived and progressed as a program for seventy-three years,” Martinson said. “When you can do that, that means there is something special going on and all of us who have had anything to do with it over the years feel that and feel devotion to the concept and the space.”
Notable stars alumni of Opera in the Ozarks include Latonia Moore, Leona Mitchell and Mark Delavan, all who have performed at the Metropolitan Opera House in Manhattan. Distinguished alumni have also performed on international stages in Vienna, Paris, Milan and Rio de Janeiro.
“Opera in the Ozarks was the first place where I was able to sing leading roles. I learned what was needed as an opera singer in preparation, rehearsal and on stage,” OIO alumnus and current student at Cafritz Young Artists at Washington National Opera Justin Burgess said. “A new theater will give students the opportunity to build roles and perform on a stage comparable to what the future holds for them.”
For the next two summer seasons, the Opera in the Ozarks will be held in the existing facility. The new theater is scheduled to be completed in mid-2025.