Historic Theatre Season Marks the Beginning of a New Era for the Howell Opera House

The Reawakening Season: A Building Brought Back to Life

Historic Theatre Season Marks the Beginning of a New Era for the Howell Opera House

HOWELL, MI — Something extraordinary is happening in Howell. For the first time in more than one hundred years, the Livingston Arts Council will produce its own full season of theatre, beginning with an opera, inside the historic Howell Opera House. 

This season, titled The Reawakening Season: A Building Brought Back to Life, marks a defining moment in the Opera House’s story and serves as the public beginning of a larger restoration effort to return the entire building to full use. The Livingston Arts Council has begun preparations for a major capital campaign that will preserve the Opera House’s historic integrity while transforming it into a fully restored and accessible performance space for future generations.

“The Reawakening Season is about more than theatre,” said Dana Wnuk, Executive Director of the Livingston Arts Council. “It is about restoring the heart of this building and bringing new life to a space that has inspired our community for generations. Every voice on stage and every person in the audience will help the Opera House come alive again and carry its story forward into a new century.”

The season will be designed as an immersive experience that connects the performance to the building itself. Each production will be staged in the spirit of theatre as it was in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, with simple sets and flexible staging that invite the audience to experience the story within the historic space. simple lighting, sound, and design elements will be used with intention to enhance the atmosphere and draw audiences deeper into the world of each play. This approach allows every show to feel rooted in the Opera House’s past while fully alive in the present.

The 2026 theatre season will feature:

• The Pirates of Penzance (opera)

• Measure for Measure

• Night of the Living Dead

• An Original Work (community submissions now open)

The final production will be an original piece created in collaboration with the community, inviting local writers and and artists to help shape a story that reflects Howell’s creative spirit.

In 2026, the Howell Opera House will begin Phase 1 of construction, made possible through a $2-million grant. This phase will focus on essential structural and building improvements that move the project closer to creating a fully accessible, modern community performing space. During this time, some productions may be staged in alternate areas within the building, giving audiences a rare opportunity to experience the restoration in progress and see how each performance contributes to the Opera House’s transformation. Whether on the historic stage or within newly adapted spaces, every show will be part of this remarkable step forward in bringing the building fully back to life.

The season will be led by Dana Wnuk and Emmy Nominee Sam Logan Khaleghi, marking the first time in more than a century that a full season of theatrical performances will take place inside the Opera House.

“When I first saw the Howell Opera House, I knew it could be more than a historic building — it could be the heart of a thriving cultural destination,” said Sam Logan Khaleghi, Emmy-nominated filmmaker and producer. “I believe Howell has the potential to become a place where the arts bring people together, where creativity fuels the local economy, and where the Opera House stands as a symbol of what this community can achieve when it invests in its own story.”

“The Reawakening Season is the start of something historic,” Wnuk added. “It is the first step in returning this beautiful building to its rightful place as the creative and cultural heart of our community.”

Join the Livingston Arts Council for The Reawakening Season: A Building Brought Back to Life and be part of history in the making.

Auditions are now open for the 2026 Theatre Season
Date: November 20, 2025
Time: 5:00 to 9:00 PM
Location: Howell Opera House, 123 W. Grand River Avenue, Howell, Michigan
More information at www.howelloperahouse.org.