How does a building from 1901 stay so pristine while having actors and major Louisiana figures visit it? You may know some of them: “Enrico Caruso, Huey P. Long, and Babe Ruth” (1) are a few of the notable people to visit the aptly named Grand Opera House of the South.

The opera house was constructed by David Lyons, a Plaquemine native who was a deputy sheriff and a stable owner, in the small town of Crowley. It took a major hiatus much like most of us to recollect itself after continually showing not just operas, but theater performances and other acts like musicals until 1940.

Local Crowley residents like Irene Dunne, a dancer, and Rev. Paul Freeland, local historian, performed in the theater dancing and acting respectively (2). Ironically, the opera house never hosted any opera yet continues to hold weddings, school plays, and community events within an ornate location with three stories and an almost classical air (3).The old theater lost some luster after its abandonment and was renovated in 2008 by architect Donald J. Breaux costing $4.5 million (4) which was well worth the money as the interior is a theater masquerading as a beautiful opera house.

This four-story building still hosts performances and many Crowley acting children have their careers start here. In fact, they still continue the tradition of marking the backstage with art and names of the children and teenagers who have performed here. The hardware store was removed from the first floor in order to make the wedding reception area look more attractive. The second floor even has a museum where people can look at how the Crowley community provided pieces of history back to the Grand Opera House.

Many also say the opera house is haunted as according to paranormal investigators; five people have died with two murders, two under natural causes, and one as an work incident (5). The board director, Kimberly G. Gattle says her experience with ghosts have never been mean-spirited and how she thinks they are proud of what the theater still accomplishes. With so much history since the 1900s, one can see how Crowley would be proud of its theater.

1. “History,” The Grand Opera House of the South, accessed March 24, 2022, http://www.thegrandoperahouse.org/what-we-do.

2. “Crowley’s Grand Opera Relived,” Crowley Post Signal, December 24, 1974, https://www.newspapers.com/image/470648345/.

3. Ibid.

4. “History,” The Grand Opera House of the South, accessed March 24, 2022, http://www.thegrandoperahouse.org/what-we-do.

5. Duplechien, “Haunted Nation: The Grand Opera House - Crowley, LA (From Brothels to Broadway),” Haunted Nation (blog), August 23, 2016, http://hauntednation.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-grand-opera-house-crowley-la-from.html.

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Who knew one of Lafayette's most famous figures patronized the arts? The Heymann Performing Arts Center was originally Lafayette’s first municipal auditorium designed by architect A. Hays Town in 1957. Town built many of the most famous buildings in Lafayette and the Performing Arts Center combines his speciality for French Creole architecture with a more functional modernist style.

It was completed in 1960 and people were excited for new cultural events for the growing city. The Daily Advertiser played on the new experience for Lafayette’s citizens as they mentioned this, performing arts, as the American way to create a better society. The center hosted Broadway shows and it brought major cities’ acclaim to Lafayette. Since then, we see performances of ballets, concerts, and other celebrations. A parking lot hides the true beauty of the theater which boasts a professional stage and extensive setup for Lafayette to showcase its art prowess in dance, musicals, and plays.

The Heymann family has prided itself on giving back to the city’s community in the downtown area in oil and business acclaim, medical expertise, and the performing arts. The Heymann Performing Arts Center still faces challenges as many speculate on its future with theories on selling the theater.

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Can a group of talented friends provide entertainment to the community? The story of the Abbey Players Theater begins with their first actors highly interested in the performing arts and so Ted and Lynette Winter Cessac and their partner, Dave Pierce formed the Abbey Players. The Abbey Players themselves were a non-profit acting group in 1976 moving around town in Abbeville performing plays like a standard troupe. Their local newspaper captured the heart of their performances and the Abbeville crowd loved the well-done performances each time. It showed how a ragtag team of performers could start something by continuing to practice small plays over and over.

The group rented many locations but they desired a stable venue rather than schools, banks, and small stages.

They featured in many instances for their local newspaper for outstanding performances and eventually placed an advertisement in November of 1980 for a more permanent location. They settled on a lumber mill, the Reaux Lumber Co., which was a saloom in the early 1900s and their public stage was set as they continued to perform for the city. They completely renovated the old warehouse with a stage, backstage, and fitting room as well as installing lights fixtures for their upcoming plays of “the Rainmaker”, “Cat on a Hot Tin Room”, and “The Man who Came to Dinner”.

The theater served hors d'oeuvres and champagne which became such a regular occurrence that it was cemented into their calling card as Patrons’ Night. The waiting area has multiple chairs and tables for a comfortable night out with friends to catch a lovely play. A little known fact about their current location is supposedly haunted and paranormal investigators visited the location where their investigation yielded sounds from a little ghost girl.

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