Newberry Opera House shows how arts are for everyone

Aug. 26—NEWBERRY — The historical Newberry Opera House is undergoing some renovations and upgrades from the 1998 standards to the current year's as a way of celebrating 25 years since opening, as well as bringing more interest to the opera house in order to help the community in more ways than they already do.

"We're renovating the opera house this year, 25 years, got a lot going on, but this renovation will take us to the next level," Executive Director Anne Smith said during the August 16 Newberry County Council meeting. "We've just bought a new soundboard and our stage and theater is now up to 2023 standards."

The nonprofit seeks to bring more interest and attention to the already popular opera house and give patrons an experience they won't forget. Their mission is the arts are for everyone and wish to share it with as many as they can.

"Our mission is arts are for everyone," Smith said. "We really feel that the arts just make life better and they're for everyone."

Since their opening, they have shown that the arts are for everyone in a number of ways, whether it is the actual arts or the work arts have helped support over the years. Until the early 1990s, the opera house was used for both a seat of government and a place of entertainment. The first floor was for the city, the second for the hall and theater.

"It was pretty much like that until the mid '80s, early '90s," said Smith. "And then they asked a group of citizens to get together and form the foundation and renovate in 1998."

The renovations in '98 created jobs, employment opportunities and benefited those in and out of the county. Currently, the opera house supports 696 jobs, 496 of which are directly supported and 129 indirectly supported, with 71 being induced through the opera house's effects. The increased labor income (the amount that employed people earn by working) has gone up immensely with help from the opera house.

"The total increase of labor income to the local economy is $17.96 million," CEO of the Electric Cooperative Keith Avery said.

Avery explained that the labor increase equaled about $496 per person, even playing a role and partially responsible for the two dollar labor income increase in manufacturing jobs. Money made by the opera house is put right back towards the community. Every year, the output goes up.

"$48.99 million is the economic output that the opera house brings within the county and the region itself," Avery said. "That is significant."

The house averages 120 shows a year with 80% of audience members being from out of county, state and even country. The profits help fund programs, such as the Newberry Arts For All (NAFA) program or towards scholarships for college bound seniors. With ticket sales nearing what they were pre-COVID, the opera house is able to put more money back into the programs, helping get younger generations interested in the arts.

"We raise over $100,000 a year, annually, just to put back into the community and our Newberry Arts For All program," Smith said. "We worked with a school district in Newberry County to have all third, fourth and fifth graders come to eight shows. Those were city schools. We are expanding that this year to county schools."

The opera house is also bringing Janet Ivey, who facilitates the Astronaut STEAM Camp, the creator of "Janet's Planet" on PBS and is part of the Mars Mission, to Newberry from September 18 through the 22. She will be going to each school in the county to speak, including alternative schools.

With the world class talent and shows, such as Willie Nelson, The Temptations and more, that the opera house hosts, they have the opportunity to put money into the community and education, drumming up interest for the opera house and bringing more people in. They seek to show that art is for everyone, that everyone can benefit from it in some way and that art can, and often does, influence the younger generations.

"I always tell everybody," Smith said, "a child is going to be influenced by something, no matter what. It might as well be the arts."

Reach Orion Griffin @ 803-768-3122 or on Twitter @TheNBOnews.