Reedley granted $50K, how they will revitalize historic opera house

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The City of Reedley has received a substantial grant, which they plan to use to revitalize their historic opera house.

“Within the next couple of years, we would have had to decide whether or not to shut down this opera house,” said Reedley’s City Manager Nicole Zieba. 

Thanks to T-Mobile’s Hometown Grant Program, the opera house will have a new lease on life. Reedley and 24 other towns have each been granted $50,000.

Reedley’s historic opera house, nearly 120 years old, is a gem in the small city. But if you take a look inside, city leaders say the stage is outdated and becoming unsafe for production.

“The foundation wasn’t done up to current standards, and so the supports are farther apart than they should be. It’s very rickety. It literally is falling apart, and the railing is falling apart,” Zieba shared.

The new stage will be ADA accessible. A project like this would cost the city $100,000, funds Zieba says, the city can’t afford. So when they found out they had a chance of being picked for a $50,000 grant, they were all in. “To be noticed amongst thousands is really a neat point for the City of Reedley,” she explained. 

While the T-Mobile grant will not cover the entire cost of the stage, a local contractor will take on the remaining expenses, revitalizing the opera house and ensuring more performances by the River City Theater Company.

“That’s Copeland Construction. We’re just super excited about it,” Zieba said.”You get a world-class production, dinner, on the weekends they do brunch. We have a bar operating sometimes. And so you really get the full theater experience when you come to the Reedley Opera House.”

The city wants to accommodate the River City Theater Company and their scheduled productions, but they hope to start this project by fall.