Benefit Play Set for Oct. 24, 25

OURAY – Local art groups may soon have a place to call home. An organization called Friends of the Wright Opera House is working toward acquiring the Opera House and transforming it into an art center for Ouray County.

“We are trying to save the Opera House from being used for other purposes other than what it was intended for,” said Ralph Huesing, president of Friends of the Wright Opera House.

According to Huesing, there has been talk about transforming the historic building into condominiums. Last February a few concerned citizens formed Friends of the Wright Opera House. They have been working tirelessly ever since, applying for grants and trying to raise money to preserve the building.

“We’d like to make it a cultural arts center for all of Ouray County,” said Huesing. “We are working in conjunction with other arts organizations to help provide a central location for people to engage in promoting art entities, organize art activities and market their events.”

The organization has planned its first fundraising event, which will take place this week. They will present Three Viewings, a play by Jeffrey Hatcher and performed by actors of the Tinshell Theater Company in Montrose. The performance takes place Oct. 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m. at the Wright Opera House on 460 Main St. in Ouray. Tickets can be purchased at the door and will be $12 for adults and $6 for students.

Alpine Bank is sponsoring the event and Box Canyon Lodge has donated accommodations for the theater group. All proceeds will go to the Friends of the Wright Opera House.

According to Nancy Nixon, secretary for Friends of the Wright Opera House, the organization has support of the Ouray County Performing Arts Guild, Weehawken Arts, Ouray County Arts Association, and Ouray County Players. They plan to engage other local art organizations that could benefit from a communal art center.

“There are so many arts groups that are doing well in this community,” said Nixon. “Our vision is to have offices in the Opera House for these groups. We would also like to bring in a director to help coordinate art activities and be an advocate for the programs.”

With so many art entities in the county there have been problems in the past with double bookings of events on weekends and with different groups trying to use the same facility at the same time. According to Huesing, an art center would help make everything more centralized and more organized.

Friends of the Wright Opera House envisions the space as a venue for live theater and art shows. Nixon said the theater, which seats approximately 220, will bring people to town for musical events, theater performances and guest speakers.

Friends of the Wright Opera House is a nonprofit group with official 501(c)3 status. So far they have received a $10,000 grant from Colorado Historical Society. That money has been used to assess the building’s structure, which provides information about what work needs to be done to bring it up to code while preserving the historical integrity. The building has been appraised at exactly $1 million. The group is currently working on a $400,000 acquisition grant from the Colorado Historical Society that will aid them in purchasing the building. But $600,000 remains to be raised.

“We have got to hustle,” said Huesing. “We’re hoping to generate some interest with our fundraiser this week. Before the State Historical Fund awards more grant money we need to prove that we can raise money on our own.”

At this week’s event people can donate $50 or more (which includes the price of tickets) and will be eligible for a 25 percent Colorado State Tax Credit. According to Huesing, the event will open up discussion about the group’s mission to raise a substantial amount of money. They are hoping to engage people who might be interested in becoming part of the fundraising process.

“We have an obligation to help make art accessible for people in this community,” said Huesing.