{ "slug": "goodspeed-opera-house", "title": "Goodspeed Opera House: a theater returns", "towns": [ "East Haddam" ], "counties": [ "Middlesex" ], "dateRange": "1876–1999", "topic": "Arts & community life", "summary": "A riverside commercial building saved and returned to musical theater.", "history": [ { "heading": "Commerce and performance, 1876–1877", "text": "William H. Goodspeed built the opera house in 1876. It combined theater with offices, a general store and a steamboat passenger terminal. The first performances took place on October 24, 1877. River traffic brought performers and audiences into a building where business, travel and entertainment shared the same address.", "source_ids": [ "goodspeed" ] }, { "heading": "Preservation, 1958–1963", "text": "After a period of decline and use as state highway storage, the building faced demolition in 1958. Local supporters organized the Goodspeed Opera House Foundation in 1959. Restoration led to the theater’s rededication on June 18, 1963, with Oh, Lady! Lady!!, beginning a new chapter for the historic building.", "source_ids": [ "goodspeed" ] }, { "heading": "A producing theater and a library", "text": "The revived theater developed a reputation during the 1960s and 1970s, including productions of Man of La Mancha and Annie. A large 1975 donation of sheet music and scores helped establish its theater library. The collection’s first librarian arrived in 1979, linking performance with the preservation of musical-theater records.", "source_ids": [ "library" ] } ], "timeline": [ { "date": "1876", "event": "William H. Goodspeed builds the opera house.", "source_ids": [ "goodspeed" ] }, { "date": "October 24, 1877", "event": "The theater presents its opening performances.", "source_ids": [ "goodspeed" ] }, { "date": "1959", "event": "A foundation forms to restore and reactivate the building.", "source_ids": [ "goodspeed" ] }, { "date": "June 18, 1963", "event": "The restored theater is rededicated.", "source_ids": [ "goodspeed" ] }, { "date": "1975", "event": "A major music donation helps establish the library.", "source_ids": [ "library" ] } ], "sources": [ { "id": "goodspeed", "title": "Goodspeed Musicals — About Goodspeed", "url": "https://www.goodspeed.org/about/about-goodspeed" }, { "id": "library", "title": "Goodspeed — History of the Scherer Library of Musical Theatre", "url": "https://www.goodspeed.org/a-history-of-the-scherer-library-of-musical-theatre" } ], "images": [ { "id": "f9ac21a863c0244087c2", "image": "/county-images/42e811dfff42717ed8efcaa21ecfec88f24c6a5c1f8c3ef1f48119faa0b697a2.jpg", "title": "Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut — later documentary photograph", "alt": "Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut — later documentary photograph", "date": "5 October 2011", "credit": "Carol M. Highsmith / The George F. Landegger Collection of Connecticut Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division", "creator": "Carol M. Highsmith", "source": "https://www.loc.gov/item/2012631095/", "rights": "No known restrictions on publication. Carol M. Highsmith photographs at the Library of Congress.", "license": "Public domain", "licenseUrl": "https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/482_high.html", "kind": "photograph", "later": true, "originalCaption": "Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut LCCN2012631095", "originalImage": "https://tile.loc.gov/image-services/iiif/service:pnp:highsm:19600:19687/full/pct:6.25/0/default.jpg" }, { "id": "63af7fead36d2be6db38", "image": "/county-images/12de9d2e63eeacc67565baa829223789103038b05dc7fb1fa04f27dc912d8118.jpg", "title": "Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut — later documentary photograph", "alt": "Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut — later documentary photograph", "date": "5 October 2011", "credit": "Carol M. Highsmith / The George F. Landegger Collection of Connecticut Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division", "creator": "Carol M. Highsmith", "source": "https://www.loc.gov/item/2012631096/", "rights": "No known restrictions on publication. Carol M. Highsmith photographs at the Library of Congress.", "license": "Public domain", "licenseUrl": "https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/482_high.html", "kind": "photograph", "later": true, "originalCaption": "Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut LCCN2012631096", "originalImage": "https://tile.loc.gov/image-services/iiif/service:pnp:highsm:19600:19688/full/pct:12.5/0/default.jpg" }, { "id": "e97914b4df10796fdc8a", "image": "/county-images/21d9e457d9418c103a203f47876fc440f84dc4d3578297f40a7e38ed22909d4a.jpg", "title": "Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut — later documentary photograph", "alt": "Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut — later documentary photograph", "date": "5 October 2011", "credit": "Carol M. Highsmith / The George F. Landegger Collection of Connecticut Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division", "creator": "Carol M. Highsmith", "source": "https://www.loc.gov/item/2012631097/", "rights": "No known restrictions on publication. Carol M. Highsmith photographs at the Library of Congress.", "license": "Public domain", "licenseUrl": "https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/482_high.html", "kind": "photograph", "later": true, "originalCaption": "Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut LCCN2012631097", "originalImage": "https://tile.loc.gov/image-services/iiif/service:pnp:highsm:19600:19689/full/pct:6.25/0/default.jpg" }, { "id": "988c0f54013fabbaac43", "image": "/county-images/4d6363992a91c309c4f41f7d5789dade49ffc3c2077d056f6b412ab40273b7a2.jpg", "title": "Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut — later documentary photograph", "alt": "Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut — later documentary photograph", "date": "5 October 2011", "credit": "Carol M. Highsmith / The George F. Landegger Collection of Connecticut Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division", "creator": "Carol M. Highsmith", "source": "https://www.loc.gov/item/2012631099/", "rights": "No known restrictions on publication. Carol M. Highsmith photographs at the Library of Congress.", "license": "Public domain", "licenseUrl": "https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/482_high.html", "kind": "photograph", "later": true, "originalCaption": "Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut LCCN2012631099", "originalImage": "https://tile.loc.gov/image-services/iiif/service:pnp:highsm:19600:19690/full/pct:6.25/0/default.jpg" }, { "id": "9461ed8e1b5e81359d45", "image": "/county-images/73afdddc207c0838aae1a0319a7a5e32bfb8024fef1d757b4c8616e993387eaf.jpg", "title": "View from the Connecticut River of the Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut — later documentary photograph", "alt": "View from the Connecticut River of the Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut — later documentary photograph", "date": "1 September 2011", "credit": "Carol M. Highsmith / The George F. Landegger Collection of Connecticut Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division", "creator": "Carol M. Highsmith", "source": "https://www.loc.gov/item/2012630397/", "rights": "No known restrictions on publication. Carol M. Highsmith photographs at the Library of Congress.", "license": "Public domain", "licenseUrl": "https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/482_high.html", "kind": "photograph", "later": true, "originalCaption": "View from the Connecticut River of the Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut LCCN2012630397", "originalImage": "https://tile.loc.gov/image-services/iiif/service:pnp:highsm:18900:18962/full/pct:6.25/0/default.jpg" }, { "id": "e20a621d6f53b9e8315f", "image": "/county-images/10a5243fa6baa6315669eaf27e152999731b38238ae04667ae37b5cd41157819.jpg", "title": "View from the Connecticut River of the Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut — later documentary photograph", "alt": "View from the Connecticut River of the Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut — later documentary photograph", "date": "9 October 2011", "credit": "Carol M. Highsmith / The George F. Landegger Collection of Connecticut Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division", "creator": "Carol M. Highsmith", "source": "https://www.loc.gov/item/2012630797/", "rights": "No known restrictions on publication. Carol M. Highsmith photographs at the Library of Congress.", "license": "Public domain", "licenseUrl": "https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/482_high.html", "kind": "photograph", "later": true, "originalCaption": "View from the Connecticut River of the Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut LCCN2012630797", "originalImage": "https://tile.loc.gov/image-services/iiif/service:pnp:highsm:19300:19389/full/pct:12.5/0/default.jpg" }, { "id": "f6c9ec0917ecd61315bc", "image": "/county-images/e8599f6d99e7126f260fa0d03dd85efd83e0af572b1697b8839d3e7c2a71cc18.jpg", "title": "View from the Connecticut River of the Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut — later documentary photograph", "alt": "View from the Connecticut River of the Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut — later documentary photograph", "date": "9 October 2011", "credit": "Carol M. Highsmith / The George F. Landegger Collection of Connecticut Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division", "creator": "Carol M. Highsmith", "source": "https://www.loc.gov/item/2012630798/", "rights": "No known restrictions on publication. Carol M. Highsmith photographs at the Library of Congress.", "license": "Public domain", "licenseUrl": "https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/482_high.html", "kind": "photograph", "later": true, "originalCaption": "View from the Connecticut River of the Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut LCCN2012630798", "originalImage": "https://tile.loc.gov/image-services/iiif/service:pnp:highsm:19300:19390/full/pct:12.5/0/default.jpg" }, { "id": "68e9017fd234a77115ac", "image": "/county-images/81956b1408a01b077793668cb3fd7b1aa58fcb18574496047f09500a9f182b0e.jpg", "title": "View from the Connecticut River of the Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut — later documentary photograph", "alt": "View from the Connecticut River of the Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut — later documentary photograph", "date": "9 October 2011", "credit": "Carol M. Highsmith / The George F. Landegger Collection of Connecticut Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division", "creator": "Carol M. Highsmith", "source": "https://www.loc.gov/item/2012631724/", "rights": "No known restrictions on publication. Carol M. Highsmith photographs at the Library of Congress.", "license": "Public domain", "licenseUrl": "https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/482_high.html", "kind": "photograph", "later": true, "originalCaption": "View from the Connecticut River of the Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut LCCN2012631724", "originalImage": "https://tile.loc.gov/image-services/iiif/service:pnp:highsm:20300:20315/full/pct:6.25/0/default.jpg" }, { "id": "44d7508ef3dea52a1f7d", "image": "/county-images/59778696f0e235bf5140c2b5c4230d89295a201212f5573ca4877515da72ae53.jpg", "title": "View from the Connecticut River of the Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut — later documentary photograph", "alt": "View from the Connecticut River of the Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut — later documentary photograph", "date": "9 October 2011", "credit": "Carol M. Highsmith / The George F. Landegger Collection of Connecticut Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division", "creator": "Carol M. Highsmith", "source": "https://www.loc.gov/item/2012631726/", "rights": "No known restrictions on publication. Carol M. Highsmith photographs at the Library of Congress.", "license": "Public domain", "licenseUrl": "https://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/482_high.html", "kind": "photograph", "later": true, "originalCaption": "View from the Connecticut River of the Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, Connecticut LCCN2012631726", "originalImage": "https://tile.loc.gov/image-services/iiif/service:pnp:highsm:20300:20317/full/pct:6.25/0/default.jpg" } ] }