ROCHESTER OPERA HOUSE

Rochester Opera House is a 750-seat historic theater located inside Rochester City Hall at 31 Wakefield Street in Rochester, New Hampshire. Designed by architect George Gilman Adams, the venue features a horseshoe-shaped balcony, a grand proscenium, and a patented movable floor system that can be raised for amphitheater seating or lowered flat for events.

Expect a mix of live theater productions, tribute concerts, comedy shows, murder mystery dinners, and youth programming. The Rochester Performance & Arts Center at 32 North Main Street serves as an additional space for classes, workshops, and smaller performances.

The opera house opened on Memorial Day 1908 as part of the newly constructed Rochester City Hall, with construction costing approximately $85,745. After decades of decline, the venue was abandoned in 1974 and sat unused until a community restoration effort led to its reopening in the late 1990s. It became a nonprofit organization in 1998 and celebrated its centennial in 2008. Notable visitors have included President Barack Obama, President Bill Clinton, and Senator Bernie Sanders during presidential primary campaigns.