• Courtesy
• The newly renovated Lebanon Opera House

Lebanon Opera House is reopening next week with a new look after five months of renovations — just in time for the performing arts center to celebrate its 100th year.

The $3.4 million renovation builds upon the art deco aesthetic of the space, located on the second floor of Lebanon City Hall, just over the New Hampshire border. Upgrades include LED stage lighting, new dressing rooms, plywood subfloor and carpeting, roomier theater seats with cupholders, fresh paint, and custom chandeliers. The public can see the updated venue at a free housewarming party on Wednesday, February 7, complete with a cash bar, DJ and dancing.

"I can't wait for people to see the change," executive director Joe Clifford said. "It's transformative."

Built in 1924, the historic space initially served as a vaudeville theater. It was converted into a movie theater in 1951, closed in 1969 and reopened in 1975 with a remodel that could accommodate live performances. In 1991, the City of Lebanon established a nonprofit to take over management of the facility. Ten years later, the theater was again remodeled with the installation of a freight elevator and expansion of backstage and green rooms.

The recent renovation was entirely funded by donors as part of a campaign to raise $4.2 million for the opera house in advance of its centennial. The refresh transforms the venue into a modern theater, Clifford said. New stage lighting brings the theater in line with industry standards, he explained, and attendees can sit more comfortably in wider seats with more legroom.

More spacious seating meant taking out a row in the balcony and lowering the total number of chairs in the theater from 800 to 745, Clifford said. Several rows of new, removable chairs in the back of the theater can also make room for dancing.

"For a long time, we were trying to fit ourselves into the city hall building," Clifford said. "Now, we're making a space comfortable for our essential purposes, which is about welcoming people to the theater."

Funds from the $4.2 million campaign not allocated to the renovation will go toward expanded staffing, underwriting Lebanon's Nexus Music and Arts Festival in August, and buying portable stage equipment to mount shows off-site, in places such as parks, churches and community centers. The opera house has raised about $3.8 million so far, according to Clifford.

In its centennial year, Lebanon Opera House will welcome big names such as "RuPaul's Drag Race" Season 9 winner Sasha Velour (March 4). Other bookings include standup comedian Tom Papa (April 5), who has two Netflix specials; Washington, D.C.-based political satire group the Capitol Fools (March 9); and Brooklyn-based band Red Baraat (March 16), whose "Festival of Colors" show celebrates the Hindu holiday of Holi. The opera house will also host a 100th birthday celebration in October.

Through its many incarnations, the opera house has always served as a community gathering place, Clifford said. The modernized space will fulfill that same purpose.

"It's not only touring artists who get access to this amazing venue — it's little kids in ballet school, it's the teeny theater group, and it's the Grammy-winning musician," he said. "It really is about serving the community and trying to make this the best venue we can for the next 100 years."